


Locket of Love

by AsherTye



Category: She-Ra: Princess Of Power
Genre: F/M, First Crush, Gen, Mind Control, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 03:32:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/706034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsherTye/pseuds/AsherTye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ancient artifact, complete with a warning, is being sent to the kingdom of Brightmoon for safekeeping. The Horde finds out about it and, believing it to be a weapon, Hordak sends Imp to steal it. Unfortunately, not all warnings are what they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Locket of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I in no way own She-Ra. This story is written without the permission of the real owners.
> 
> Author's Note: Okay, this is my first She-Ra fan-fic, but, depending on the responses I get, it won't be my last. As you'll probably be able to tell from this story, the character Imp was my favorite from the series. Don't ask why, I just like him. As far as dialogue goes, I will not be including Hordak's snorts, Leech's sucking, Kowl's hooing, Madame Razz's stuttering, and Catra's meowing when they talk. At this point I can't accurately capture all those sounds, but I'll probably add them in later. I haven't seen She-Ra in years, so I'm very fuzzy on the details of some characters. If there are some discrepancies between what I write and the show, well, I'm gonna chalk it up to artistic license. I do want to hear opinions, so please read and review.

Hordak sat on his throne deep in thought and steeped in anger as he mulled over the news he'd just received. The cyborg's spies had just informed him that Queen Spectra of the Kingdom of Starshine was preparing to rebel against the Horde and thus toss them out of the territory. For the sake of their safety, the queen was sending several of her kingdom’s valuable and ancient treasures to different allies, including an artifact that had been in Starshine for thousands of years. This last piece was being sent to Queen Angella at Brightmoon, and it was also what Hordak was most interested in. A golden locket shaped like a heart that, according to texts plundered from Starshine Castle, the Ancients warned against using for any reason. Hordak marveled at the thought. An object so powerful, even the ancients of Etheria were afraid of it, and it was traveling under the sparsest protection to allow for quick transit.  
Not that that information did Hordak one bit of good. The Horde spies had been too late in reporting this, and by now the locket was already in Brightmoon, delivered by one of Spectra's nobles who had actually had to travel through the Fright Zone to make it to Whispering Woods. The mere thought that such an obviously powerful weapon had been lost simply because of his spies' ineptness infuriated Hordak no end, and thus did he fume. Suddenly a small flapping sound came to the Horde general's ears.  
 _‘Ah,’_ Hordak thought, a sliver of amusement creeping into his mind, _‘Imp's back. He always puts me in a better mood.’_ Sure enough a small blue form alighted on Hordak's shoulder, sharp hooves gripping his flesh for support as the cyborg turned to look at the source of the sudden weight. With his piggish face, small wings, and chubby body, Imp cut an almost comical figure as he deftly balanced on his master’s shoulder. And, truth be told, even Hordak probably would have laughed at the small youth if he didn't know just how dangerous the young monster truly was. His natural talent for transformation and keen memory made him invaluable as a spy, one who could find out even the most sensitive of enemy information and bring it back. Of course this was by no means the little flyer's only use. Hordak glanced at the two small fangs protruding from Imp's upper lip, just under his slat snout. Though puny when compared to the fangs of others, they were astoundingly sharp and could puncture even the toughest skin. Hordak was often surprised Imp never put a hole in his own lip by accident. Of course, that was only the tip of the ice-berg. Once those fangs did make their way past a victim’s skin, Imp could easily inject the most potent poison Hordak had ever seen into them, causing a horrible, rotting death within minutes for which there was no cure known. This gave Imp his second, less pronounced purpose; Hordak's assassin.  
"So my nasty little imp, (snort) what have you been up to?" Hordak asked as he gave the creature and affectionate pat on the head. “Have you managed to sniff up any interesting new tidbits for me?”  
"Actually Boss, I've been thinking about that locket you wanted. I bet I could get it for you."  
"You've been wasting your time then, Imp. (snort) The locket has already been delivered to Brightmoon, and I’m not prepared to risk you without knowing exactly where it is. (snort)"   
"Ah, come on boss," Imp began in an almost whining voice, "I can do it easy. I break into that dumb ol’ castle all the time. Where do you think I found out about that prince False-Face disguised himself as? And what about when I captured that Robo-Friend thing for you?"  
"(snort) This is different. The locket will not be out in the open, (snort) Angella will have it in her vaults which are no doubt magically protected from entry. It's simply too dangerous."  
"As much as I hate to agree with this worm (wheeze), he is probably the only one able to successfully retrieve the locket. (wheeze) With my help of course," Shadow Weaver said as she appeared at Hordak's side. Imp gave her a scowl to show his displeasure at being so maligned but held his tongue from retort. For whatever her reasons, the red witch was on his side for once and now would not be a prudent time for reprisals. Hordak too was less than happy to hear the sorceress's words, though he had different reasons for such.   
"What are you talking about, Weaver?" Hordak asked, scowling.   
"My dark magics could give young Imp the tools he needs (wheeze) to circumvent the defensive spells Angella will use."  
"Yeah, yeah boss and none of those saps'll ever know I'm there 'till I take the locket and scram. I even gotta plan on how to get into the castle without them knowing. All I need is a few spells from the witch and some of your troops," Imp continued, getting more and more excited as it became apparent Hordak would once more give into him.  
"Very well Imp, (snort) you may retrieve the locket for me. But if you get into trouble, (snort) I expect you to abandon your plans and get back here with all speed. Now go and coolect whatever tools you'll need (snort) and then we'll discuss this plan of yours." Before Hordak could even blink, the youth was already on his way to gather his things. Shadow Weaver too began to take her leave, only to be stopped when her master grabbed her arm rather forcefully. Unaccustomed to being treated so roughly, Shadow Weaver turned back and met Hordak's glare with her own to show her disapproval.   
"Imp is impulsive, (snort) a trait that comes with childhood. He is no doubt seeing this as an exciting adventure into enemy territory, (snort) and does not see any danger in being there beyond what he is normally used to encountering. YOU, on the other hand, are an adult, (snort) and understand fully that this is no game, so it is YOU who I will be holding responsible for his well being."  
"But Lord Hordak, (wheeze) this is all Imp's idea. My only input will be to supply him with some trinkets to aid in his infiltration. (wheeze) If he comes to harm, (wheeze) I would think it more due to his own lack of skill."  
"(snort) If that be the case witch, than I would suggest you take steps to ensure whatever items you give him function absolutely perfectly, lest I find the need to use your library to heat my throneroom… and you as well." Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed in anger at this threat, but she wisely held her tongue and took her leave to prepare.

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"Once again I must thank you for agreeing to keep our treasures safe during these times of turmoil Queen Angella," Solar said, bowing before the winged queen as she sat on her throne. Her blonde hair and white wing-feathers gleamed in the sunlight that radiated in from the window, and her pink jacket was immaculate as always. "I realize that with the Horde a constant threat to all of Etheria it may seem a bit brazen of us to put such concern on the safety of mere baubles and such, no matter how old, but please understand that Starshine's heritage is one of the most important rallying points we have in our bid for freedom. It is our hope that even should we fail to drive the Horde from our lands and are wiped out, at least some small part of our kingdom will survive."  
"I understand completely Sir Solar," Angella told the raven-haired man as he rose from his kneeling position. "And I will be happy to help my dear friend Queen Spectra in any way I can. This mysterious locket of yours has already been ensconced in my most secure vault. You have nothing to fear of its safety."  
"Forgive me for being overly worried but, after the ease with which I passed through the Fright Zone, I am afraid my good fortune may translate into something horrible for you and your kingdom. Were such to happen, I could only imagine the shame I would feel."  
"Even Hordak would not be foolish enough to try to steal something from the castle itself," chimed in Glimmer from her mother's side. "And once you free your kingdom from the Horde the locket will be returned to you as quickly as possible.”   
“But in any event, you must be tired after your long journey. Please allow me to offer you a room for the night," Queen Angella said, her tone making it clear she would not take no for an answer. Solar smiled as he too realized this.  
"I gratefully accept your offer of hospitality your Majesty." Suddenly the throne room door opened and in walked Adora, looking like she had something important to say, but politely keeping quiet until she was sure the queen and her guest were finished speaking.  
"Glimmer, Your Majesty, we have just gotten word that the Horde is running a convoy of supplies from the Fright Zone to their armies in Starshine. I request permission to take a raiding party to capture the convoy. We can always use the fresh supplies and the less we allow the Horde to have, the easier it will be on Starshine’s forces."   
"Of course you have my permission Adora," answered Angella.  
"I'll go as well, you never know if my light powers might be needed." Glimmer began to walk down from the throne, then stopped and turned back to look at her mother the queen. "You don't need me, right mother?"  
"It's all right Glimmer, go and help our friends."  
"Right." With that both Glimmer and Adora left.

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"This is stupid, rawr," Catra complained for the hundredth time as she watched the progress of the five Horde transports from the cliff-side near the Whispering Woods. The arguably beautiful woman's eyes narrowed as she scanned the surrounding countryside for any sign of rebel movement. Beside her, her green-scaled companion, a sucker monster known as Leech also voiced his boredom over their assignment.   
"(suck-suck) I would give anything for the Rebels to attack now. (suck-suck) At least then we'd get some excitement."  
"Mmmm I, for one, hope they don't show up," came red and blue bug-eyed monster Mantenna’s nasally voice. The four footed man casually strolled up to his two allies. "Mmmm I'm tired of the beatings those Rebels are always giving us. Mmmm."  
"(suck-suck) Leave it to that pest Imp to come up with such a moronic plan as this," Leech continued, ignoring Mantenna completely. "(suck-suck) I have half a mind to teach that flying pig a lesson for wasting our time."  
"Ha, rawr you do that and Hordak will leave you with no mind rawr," Catra spat at him. Suddenly the conversation was cut off as an arrow struck the cliff-side and exploded, sending rubble down to block the path of the convoy and successfully halting it. Immediately the three villains began searching for the attacker. Catra reached up to her purple hair and pulled down her mask, transforming into her more ferocious form of a giant purple panther. A quick sniff at the air and the villainess leapt from the cliff and into a bush, knocking out Spragg the Twigget. Catra jumped out again and raised her paw, claws ready to tear the unlucky green and purple creature to shreds when two beams of light struck her; one wrapping around her paw while the other wrapped around her waist. A few feet away stood Glimmer, hands gesturing as she used her powers to lift Catra high in the air. Horde Troopers began to exit the transports, each one armed with a laser rifle, only to be met by Bow and twelve rebels.  
"My but there are a lot of troopers here," Bow said as he struck a trooper with the stylized horse head carved on the end of his bow. "You would almost think the Horde was transporting a new Magnaray rather than some supplies." In one fluid motion the auburn-haired archer loaded an arrow and fired, disarming three more troopers with his archery skill. For her part, Adora found herself dealing with the combined threat of Mantenna and Leech. Mantenna's eyes blurred as he rapidly fired his stun beams again and again at the dodging woman. Despite this Adora kept on coming, unfazed by the bug-eyed villain’s attacks. Each time she was able to get close enough to strike at him however, Leech was there to intercept her. Down at the transports more Troopers continue to pile out, soon beginning to overwhelm the rebels with their numbers. As if to make matters worse Catra, having broken free of the restraints of Glimmer's spell, was also on the attack, leading the charge of the Horde Troopers as she attacked.  
 _‘Now would be a good time for She-Ra to put in an appearance, but I can't simply give these two the chance to join the fight,’_ Adora thought as she dodged another volley of Mantenna's eye beams. Suddenly two arrows hit both villains dead-on in the face, releasing a thick cloud of black powder, which caused them to start sneezing uncontrollably.  
"Thanks," Adora called to the two Twiggets who had fired the sneezy-bolt arrows. Before they have a chance to reply, four Troopers charge the Twiggets who reload again and fire. Adora, seeing her chance, quickly took cover behind a large tree, unsheathed her sword, and raised it high above her head.  
"For the honor... of Greyskull." The jewel in the sword glowed brilliantly as sparkling energy shot out of it. Adora could feel it as the sword's energy began to flow into her and golden light showered down around her, transforming and empowering her body. "I am She-Ra!"  
Back at the battle, Catra has managed to pin Bow to the ground and is ready to take a bite out of him when she felt two very strong hands grab hold of her tail. The she-cat’s head turned to growl at the interloper, only to find herself staring at the Princess of Power. With a mighty pull She-Ra started to spin Catra around by her tail, and sending her crashing into a group of Troopers coming to save the Force Captain and knocking off her mask in the process. She-Ra's sudden appearance also bolsters the confidence of the fighting rebels, and it isn't long before the Horde has its hands completely full and begins to get routed.   
"Retreat," Catra called as she picked her mask up off the ground. Before leaving she turned to the open door of the transport she was standing next to. "Rawr, you're on your own now." She then pressed a button on her belt and disappeared in a sparkling light. Up on the cliff, Mantenna and Leech also teleported away leaving the lesser Troopers to run for their lives. Their quarry captured, the Rebels made no move to capture the minor villains, instead opting to cheer at their own success.  
"All right everyone," Glimmer said, raising her hands to get the fighters' attention. "We'll have time to celebrate back at Brightmoon, but for now we have to get out of here before the Horde sends more troops to take back this convoy." The princess then turned to She-Ra, smiling. "Thanks so much She-Ra, I don't think we could have won if not for you."  
"It was my pleasure, I always enjoy rubbing Hordak the wrong way," She-Ra said, a beautiful smile on her finely sculpted face. "I do think you should be careful though. The Horde gave up far too easily for all the troops they had here."  
"Ah they're probably just startin' to realize they can't beat us," Spragg interjected.  
"In any event these supplies will be of great value to the resistance," Bow pointed out, watching as boxes of stuff were unloaded from the Horde transports and placed in horse drawn wagons. "I suppose it would be pointless to ask if you'll return with us so we can thank you properly."  
"I'm sorry Bow, but I cannot stay long. There is no rest for the weary I’m afraid."  
"I guess we’ll just have to wait until Etheria is free before we can show you our appreciation," Bow said. She-Ra smiled politely, then turned on her heel and walked away as her friends waved after her. Once the warrior woman was out of sight, Princess Glimmer was then able to turn her full attention back to the battle’s aftermath.   
"What happened to Adora, Bow?" The purple princess asked.  
"I lost track of her during the battle. I do hope she's all right," Bow answered, concern creeping into his voice. If Adora had been captured…  
"Oh don't worry about me," Adora suddenly called, walking up to her two friends. "It takes more than a few low-grade Hordesman to keep any Rebel down."  
All their friends now accounted for, the three rebel leaders moved to help in the loading of the wagons.

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_I knew it, I knew it. Those suckers have no idea I'm here at all. All I have to do now is wait for 'em ta go ta La-La land and I'm set. Hordak'll love it when I hand him that locket. Now I just have to hope Old Shadow Wimpy's tricks work like she promised they would._

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As soon as the wagons arrived at Castle Brightmoon they were met by the guards. Soon more Rebels came out to help unload the new supplies as those that helped to capture them leave for a well deserved rest. Bow, ever a source of good cheer, decided to remain, joined soon enough by Kowl.  
"I say Bow it does seem that your mission was a rousing success. You certainly got a lot of fresh supplies," the red owl-like creature said, landing on Bow's shoulder.  
"You should have seen it Kowl, the battle was glorious. Those Hordesmen didn't stand a chance against us," Bow answered, picking up a box from a wagon and carrying it inside the palace. Not to be accused of being lazy, Kowl too picked up a much smaller box and followed his friend.  
"From what I heard from Glimmer, Catra nearly got you in that 'glorious' battle," Kowl said, his eyes narrowing to emphasize the point. "You really need to be more careful Bow, the last thing I need is to hear you've been turned into a meal for that crazy cat-woman."  
"I don't think she's ever actually eaten anyone Kowl. And as you can plainly see I'm all right."  
"Only because of She-Ra Bow. What if she hadn't been able to make it in time, hmm? I shudder to think what would have happened."  
"You worry too much. You can't expect to fight the Horde without taking a few risks."  
"I know, but there is such a thing as taking unnecessary risks."  
"Kowl sometimes you can be such an... ugh!!!" Bow wrinkled his nose as he picked up a small blue crate, almost dropping it as he did so.  
"I say, what's wrong?"  
"I think something's gone bad in this crate. It reeks of brimstone."  
"Oh it’s probably just some wretched Horde cheese," the bird told his friend as he came closer. Predictably he cupped his hands over his beak and nearly dropped out of the air. "That does stink... Maybe we should just throw it out."  
"No, for all we know it may be supposed to smell like this. We'll let the supply sergeant judge its value."

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Early night has fallen over the Kingdom of Brightmoon, and the streets of the city are almost bare, save for a few citizens hurrying to complete some last minute tasks. The golden castle shimmers in the starlight, a very picture of tranquility betrayed only by the armed guards that patrol its towers. Even the castle's normal denizens are finishing their work and preparing to rest.   
Indeed, all is peaceful within Brightmoon’s walls, save for in a lowly supply room on the castle’s first floor. There a small blue crate sits, almost hidden by its larger companions. Amazingly two yellow eyes opened up on one of the crate's sides, looking around cautiously as they did so. After a few seconds of this, the crate shimmered slightly as its form contorted and shrank and it began to assume a form that in no way resembled a box. Imp quickly dove behind a stack of normal crates, ready to transform again if a guard chose that moment to enter the room. When no one appeared, the tiny creature tip-toed to the door, gently opening it a single, slight crack.  
 _‘Great, I'm in,’_ Imp thought, feeling his excitement level rise. _‘That idiotic archer almost botched the whole thing for me though. Next time I need to be more careful about my scent. But wait 'til they see all those new “supplies” turn to sand.’_ Imp giggled as he crept out of the room and slowly made his way down the hall. As he walked he reached a chubby blue hand into his singlet and withdrew a small, forked stick. Upon closer inspection it could be seen that an assortment of different colored beads were suspended between the two prongs by a string. Imp squinted at the white bead as he remembered his conversation with Shadow Weaver over this piece of equipment.

& & &

_"This is a magical lock pick, Imp. (wheeze) It's simple design should make it easy even for you to use. (wheeze)"  
"Yeah, yeah witchy-woman; just tell me what you expect this twig to do for me and how I'm s’posed to make it work," Imp retorted before snatching the device from the older woman's hands.  
"Watch your mouth you rude little piglet, (wheeze) lest I decide to withdraw my assistance. As I was saying, (wheeze) each of those beads, (wheeze) with the exception of the white one, (wheeze) is an unlocking spell. (wheeze) In order to magically seal something, (wheeze) there are some two hundred spells that can be used."  
"But I only see thirty beads," Imp countered, turning the stick over in his hands.   
"(wheeze) That is because there are only thirty counterspells in existence, (wheeze) they each unlock several types of spells. (wheeze) Now don’t interrupt me! (wheeze) All you’ll have to do is place each bead up to the magically sealed object. (wheeze) You'll hear a clicking sound if the counterspell works."  
"Ooooh. So then, what's the white bead for?"  
"(wheeze) That is an early warning device. (wheeze) It will glow slightly when it's in the presence of magic."  
"But I've got magical abilities..."  
"(wheeze) I told you not to interrupt me! (wheeze) I’ve taken that into account and tuned it so it will not respond to your foul brand of 'magic.' (wheeze) Now may I continue with the other item you'll be using," Shadow Weaver said, annoyance creeping into her voice as she completely ignored the hateful scowl Imp was giving her. He hated letting other’s get so many licks in on him, but Hordak had been very clear in his instructions to his young spy. If Imp did not have Shadow Weaver’s complete support, the mission was automatically scrubbed as far as the general was concerned. The evil sorceress reached into the folds of her robe, and pulled forth a light blue stone.  
"They do periodic sweeps for foreign magic during the night at Brightmoon. (wheeze) As you've said, (wheeze) you have your own brand of magic and run the risk of being detected, (wheeze) despite any natural defenses you might have. (wheeze) This stone will mask your presence."  
"Okay, I guess that's about all I need. This stuff will get me through Brightmoon's magical defenses and I can do the rest," Imp said, snatching the stone which immediately started vibrating softly._

& & &

Silently Imp continued on his journey through the hallways of the castle, which looked a little less friendly when they weren't filled with sunlight. Not that that fazed Imp. He had after all lived in Fright Zones for most of his life, so shadows had no power to scare him, no matter how many twisted shapes they took on. Suddenly, his bat-like ears twitched as they picked up a sound.  
 _‘Footsteps!!’_ A few seconds later two guards walked down the hall right past a plain-looking blue vase. As their footsteps faded away, Imp transformed back into his normal form and continued to walk down the hall. A quick look at his lock pick and he noticed the white bead glowing as he passed a door. Just as Shadow Weaver had told him, Imp heard a soft click as he placed the first bead on the string on the door. Tentatively he touched the door, letting out a relieved sigh when nothing bizarre happened. For the second time the young Hordesman reached into his small pockets, this time pulling out a normal set of lock picks. This would prove unnecessary however, as the door opened a crack at Imp's touch. Opening the door a little wider, the small spy squeezed his portly body through, careful not to alert any inhabitants to his presence and ready for anything he might find...   
Anything save the sight of Princess Glimmer relaxing in a tub of hot, soapy water. Imp's jaw dropped almost to the ground as he took in the scene and he could feel his blood grow warmer as his normally sapphire cheeks began to flush red for some reason. For her part, Glimmer did not notice she was no longer alone and continued to hum to herself contentedly.  
 _‘Wow,’_ was the first thought Imp could pull together as he quickly took cover behind a potted plant. Despite his best efforts several quiet giggles escaped the boy's lips as he struggled to keep control of himself. Mastering himself, the infiltrator picked up his magical lock pick again and began to carefully search the room for any hidden pathways, casting backwards glances at Glimmer to make sure she did not accidentally notice him as he tried to concentrate on his task. _‘Nothing... absolutely nothing here. I might as well lea...’_ Without warning, the room’s door opened as in flew Kowl.  
"Glimmer, I..."  
"Aaaaah!! Kowl what are you doing in here?!" Glimmer shouted as she quickly moved to cover herself up. Kowl, realizing his embarrassing mistake, covered his eyes and began stammering apologies to the princess, much to Imp’s, who had to clamp his hands over his snout to stifle his laughter, amusement.   
"I'm so sorry Glimmer, I thought you were done."  
"Nevermind that now Kowl," Glimmer said angrily, pulling a purple towel around her body. "Just tell me what you came in here for in the first place."  
"Your mother, Queen Angella, has requested your presence in the council room as soon as possible."  
"Very well, but I do have to get dressed, so if you don't mind..."  
"Oh, of course princess. And once again I apologize for barging in on you. I’m so very sorry. It shan’t happen again, I swear." The avian creature called as he rushed out the door. It was at this point that Imp also decided to take his leave, sneaking out the now fully open door just seconds before Glimmer roughly slammed it shut.  
 _‘Serves that rotten old bird right.’_

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Three hours, and five new rooms, later yields nothing of interest, a fact that was apparent on Imp's no longer smiling face as he flew angrily through the night air.  
 _‘Who puts construction equipment behind a magical lock?’_ Imp thought, his brow furrowing in anger. _‘If I don't find something good soon, I'm gonna scream.’_ He continued to fly until he began to hear voices. Someone nearby was talking, several someones in fact. Creeping up to a door, Imp looked at his detector bead, watching as it glowed brighter than normal. The door wasn't even closed, so it was easy for the spy to angle himself to see inside, curious as to what would trigger the detector so violently. Sure enough, inside sat Queen Angella, Bow, Glimmer, Kowl, and Adora.  
 _‘No wonder the bead was glowing. I better leave or...’_  
"I'm sorry Bow, but it is too risky a plan to implement."  
"But your Highness, the vibra-crystal is a vital part of the Hordes' communication system. It is they're only connection to their own dimension. Without it Hordak lacks the ability to orchestrate his troops in real time and he can't use portals to get back to Hordeworld or have them get to him," Bow pleaded.  
"And how would we get access to the crystal Bow?" Glimmer countered. "Only a high-level Hordesman would have access to it, and I don't see any of those in camp."  
"There has to be another way though," the auburn headed archer said.  
"I don't see how," Adora explained. "When I was the Horde Force Captain I remember how heavily guarded the vibra-crystal was. Even I couldn't get my hands on it and I was Hordak's most trusted warrior." Imp smiled at this, remembering when Hordak had handed him the vibra-crystal to hold onto when he needed to use it, something apparently no one else ever got to do.   
"You've heard the other's opinions on this plan, and I'm afraid I see no reason to change my previous stance on such a mission. We don't even know where Hordak keeps the crystal."  
"But your majesty..." Imp quietly backed away as he heard more foot steps, quickly assuming the shape of a small table. Two more guards walked past him without a second glance, and he smiled as he changed back. The young alien continued only a short distance before coming across another magically sealed door. A quick touch with both lock picks and the imp was in. His jaw dropped a second time as he came face to face with a small room filled with...  
"GOLD!" Imp yelled before he could catch himself. Quickly he dove into a nearby pile and waited. Five minutes and no guards. Ten minutes and no guards. When thirty minutes passed, Imp finally poked his head out of his hiding place and carefully began to look around for the locket. Two hours passed as he diligently searched, each failure making him more and more angry. His mood however did not stop him from shoving coins and other small treasures into his pockets. Finally though, he was forced to come to a realization; he'd broken into the wrong vault.  
 _‘Where the heck could that feather-brain have stashed that stupid necklace,’_ Imp angrily thought as he stormed out of the room, nearly forgetting to re-close the door. His grand little adventure was turning into a grade-A headache. _‘I'm almost out of places to look. It's not like she could hide it in the walls...’_ That was when Imp noticed the new glow coming from his lock-pick. He looked around carefully, but no doors were near him. _‘Where is it coming fro... Hello.’_ Imp stopped in mid-stride as he felt air coming from the cracks in a wall. A delicate push and the wall gave ever so slightly as if on hinges. Taking a chance, the diminutive demon placed the first bead to the wall. No click. The second bead and no click. The third, the fourth, and so on and no clicking sound came. Finally Imp placed the last bead to the wall, producing an audible click. _‘A hidden door, but how do I open it?’_ Moving his hands carefully over the wall, Imp traced the door to learn its dimensions, but for the life of him he couldn't even find the keyhole that he could pick the lock. _‘They must be using some sort of hidden trigger, but I'll be darned if I know what it is. How am I going to get in there?’_ Imp leaned his back against the wall and slid down it to sit and think. Suddenly the boy's round yellow eyes narrowed to slits as a wonderfully mischievous thought crossed his mind. Without even getting up, Imp began to change into one of his most ambitious forms. Slowly but surely his form glowed a bit as he concentrated on what he wanted to become, his body seeming to melt as he did so. When the transformation was complete, all that remained of Imp was a puddle of ice-blue water. Quickly the puddle began to ooze through the cracks in the wall, circumventing the barrier as it continued to flow until it was completely inside.  
"I'm in." Imp whispered as he looked around. Benches and cases lined the walls, filled with books and other objects that looked old and fragile. But it was the far corner that drew the thief's attention, the corner where sat the small golden locket on a gold necklace. Imp carefully lifted the artifact from its resting place. The heart shaped locket had an arrow passing through it and upon curious inspection Imp found the arrow head to be the latch to open the locket. Inside though, all he found was nothing but two heart-shaped cuts of blank parchment.  
 _‘Oh well, the witch can figure out what it does back home at the Fright Zone,’_ Imp thought as he decided to take his leave. Unfortunately he found that his pockets were full of his plunder from the treasury, too full to store the necklace. With no other alternative, Imp placed the locket around his neck, not noticing that the still open locket was glowing slightly. One of the formerly blank parchment pieces darkened as a picture of Imp magically appeared on it. As soon as it was secured, the little creature began to dance around a little, a big smile plastered over his blue face.  
"Who the imp, who the imp! I told 'em, I told 'em. There hasn't been a security system made that can take me on, haha. Hordak's goin' to be so pleased with me, he might even give me my own town to rule. Now how do I get out of here?" Looking back at where he came in, Imp saw the reverse side of the wall; an obvious door, complete with a metal doorknob to turn. Flying up to it, the tiny creature quickly opened the door to leave… and flew straight into two guards.  
"I told you I heard someone singing?"  
"Yeah, yeah you can hear anything, but if you'll notice that thing's wearing a Horde insignia. So stop yapping and grab it." The guard lunged at Imp, who swiftly flew out of easy reach. The second guard grabbed the spy's tail only to find himself holding the spiny tail of a shark-snake. With a howl the man let his catch go and Imp transformed back into his normal form and flew off like a shot.  
"After him," the first guard yelled as he got up. "I'll raise the alarms. We've gotta stop that thing."  
"Roger," the second guard yelled as he ran off.

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Imp flew for all he was worth searching for the nearest window to escape from. If he could get into the forest, even the Twiggets would have difficulty locating him, evil creature or not. Unfortunately, Brightmoon had been designed to not need that many windows, and those it did have had been sealed for the night, limiting the little fugitive's avenues of escape. To make matters worse a loud, shrill siren had started up; waking palace denizens right and left. Everywhere he went he ran into a new guard he had to dodge. Still Imp smiled as he flew through a trap a group had set up, sending all four tumbling to the ground, confidant he could escape.  
"Stop in the name of Queen Angella and the Great Rebellion," a voice commanded, an air of attempted authority coming off of it. Imp looked ahead just in time to avoid slamming into Kowl.  
"Get out of my way feather-brain, or I'll turn myself into a grill and roast ya."  
"If memory serves, the last time you tried to take me on you ended up get thrown into a rotten goosh fruit by your ears. This time I'm not letting you go until you're in the guards' hands." Kowl continued to try to block Imp, but every time he got in Imp's way, the little monster snapped at him with fang or swiped at him with claw, forcing the feathered creature to back up. Suddenly, Imp performed a mid-air dash forward, transforming himself into a brick at the last moment and hitting Kowl, knocking him from the air. A quick shape-change and Imp was on his way again, streaking past a surprised Bow as he exited his room. Finally a path to freedom presented itself in the form of a window, with only one obstacle to block him; Adora.  
"Adora!!"  
"Stay right where you are Imp, before I'm forced to stop you!"   
"Ha, as if any of you losers could." Imp sprinted for the window but, with the speed of a trained soldier, Adora grabbed a ceremonial shield from off the wall, throwing it in front of the portal. Before he could stop himself the winged spy rammed into the shield, bouncing off of it and rebounding into the wall with a hard crack before sinking to the floor, his head swimming from the violent impact.  
"I did try to warn you," Adora said, kneeling to pick up the little creature. Around his neck the locket once more glowed as Imp's eyes fully opened and the final blank parchment darkened as a picture of Adora appeared on it. Once his vision cleared, Imp made a statement to sum up his current feelings.  
"Adora... I love you." Imp's eyes closed as he lost consciousness.  
"What?!?!" Adora said with shock, so surprised she almost dropped Imp.

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"We've come to the conclusion that Imp was after the locket from Starshine," Bow said to Queen Angella, who was now sitting on her throne listening to the archer's report, her hair just a bit disheveled from being roused after just going to sleep.  
"What about all the other stuff they found on him?" Glimmer asked standing nearby.  
"Our best guess is that that was simply spur-of-the-moment stealing on his part. He somehow got into the treasury and filled his pockets with 'souvenirs.'"  
"And how is Imp doing? Did he suffer any serious injuries from his capture?" Angella asked, fully aware of just how the little flyer had been brought down.  
"Madam Razz has been kind enough to make sure the little rat didn't break anything when he ricocheted off the wall. The weird stuff didn't start happening until he woke up."  
"What do you mean?" Angella asked.  
"He started asking for you Adora," Bow answered, looking at the woman in question. "He's actually been pacing in his cage demanding to know where you are. And he has the strangest look on his face."  
"What... what kind of look?" Adora asked, a little unnerved by this.   
"I'm not sure if I can describe it. On anyone else I'd almost say it was a look of wistful love. But he is a Hordesman, and a rather alien one at that, so I can't even pretend to understand the way his mind works."  
"Before he fainted he said he loved me, but I just thought he was trying to throw me off guard to get away. I would have thought Imp incapable of anything more..."  
"ADORA!!!" A new voice shrieked as something blue rammed into Adora's midsection, knocking her down. The blonde woman looked to find none other than Imp hugging her in as much of a death grip as his short arms could manage with a contented smile on his face as he nuzzled against her chest. Almost immediately following this little spectacle two guards ran into the throne room.  
"I'm sorry your Highness; he turned into a serpent and crawled through the bars," one guard said as he and his partner moved to remove their prisoner, eliciting a growl from Imp.  
"Leave us alone losers. Go find an intersection to patrol," Imp growled at them, baring his teeth before returning his full attention to Adora.   
"Why you little..." the second guard started as he reached out to grab Imp. Adora stopped him quickly.  
"No! Don’t provoke him, if he bites you you’ll get poisoned. Let me try." She then turned her attention to her new blue belt. "Imp, do you mind letting me up?" Adora said in a fairly commanding voice. Immediately Imp got off Adora and began to help her to her feet as best he could.  
"Anything you wish, Adora, is my command. I'd walk to the ends of Etheria for you," he said, a goofy grin on his face the entire time. As soon as the woman was on her feet again, her winged suitor quickly took flight, alighting on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her neck, or at least as far around as he could get them to go. "I love you."  
"Ma’am, do you want us to remove him now?" The first guard asked.   
"One moment, I’m trying to do this as peacefully as possible," Adora answered, turning back to Imp. "Imp, would you please go with these two? They'll take you some place you can stay for the night."  
"But I wanna stay with you, my little love bat," Imp pleaded.  
"I'll see you later, but only if you leave now, okay." Imp gave this a second's thought before jumping off Adora's shoulder and beginning to march out the door.  
"Well, what are you wimps waiting for? You're not being paid to be statues. Adora told you to take me someplace, so do it now." Imp continued forward as the guards scrambled to catch up with him. After they left Bow turned to Adora.  
"What just happened?"  
"I think the little guy actually has fallen in love with me."  
"But he's a Hordesman. How can he fall in love with a rebel? Not just a rebel, but a traitor to the Horde?" Bow asked point blank.  
"I'm not sure how it happened. I knew him for most of my life in the Fright Zone and the only one he's ever shown any affection for is Hordak."   
"He was wearing the locket when we caught him, and we do know the locket is magical. Could that have had something to do with it?"  
"Madame Razz has been studying the papers that came with the locket, maybe she can answer that for us," Angella said, a yawn escaping her lips. "In any even, it is very late and I believe it would be best for us to continue this in the morning."  
"Yeah, it's not like Imp or the locket are going anywhere," Glimmer said, an amused smile on her face. The other three agreed and all headed to their respective rooms.

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_Adora... Adora...  
Where is she? She said she'd be here soon. She must have been called for some important mission.  
I can't sleep. Those stupid guards refuse to tell me what I want to know. They keep lying to me, saying she was trying to trick me. But they can't fool me. I know nothing can keep our love apart. They're just jealous of our love.  
I have to see her again, I need to be near her. I gotta get out of here and go to her, she and I are destined to be._

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Dawn came a little too soon in the sleeping Adora's opinion. The young woman was not looking forward to dealing with the problems that were coming. Adora slowly opened her eyes to find a pair of big yellow eyes staring back at her. Startled, Adora jumped back in her bed, ready to fend off an enemy attack, only to find Imp lying in her bed, his arms crossed under his chin as he looked right at her with the same stupid grin on his face from the night before.  
"Good mornin' beautiful, didja sleep well?" The little creature asked, his wings flapping to lift him off the bed.  
"Imp! How did you get here?"  
"Well when you didn't show up last night, I figured something important had come up and you'd been too wiped out to do anything more than go to bed. So since you couldn't come to me, I decided to go see you." Imp flew over to a tray Adora could swear looked familiar. "I thought you might want breakfast, so I took a trip to the kitchen and wouldn't you know it, I found this just waiting on a table. It looked like it was for someone important, and since you're the most important person here that must mean it belongs to you. The cook was off getting something from the pantry so I decided to bring it to you myself."  
"You took a tray of food from the kitchen?!"  
"Yeah. I gotta tell you though, I don't think that much of this cooking. There are no worms, no lizards, not even a toad's eye in this food. I mean, how does the cook expect this stuff to be tasty? And that rose... Yuck. Fortunately I found some nice stinkweed in the pond near the castle."  
"Imp this is Queen Angella's breakfast. How could you just take something without even asking if it was for you?"  
"I just assumed it was yours. Oh speaking of which, I fixed your broken book."  
"My broken book?"  
"Yeah, the one with the old lock on it. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to open. I didn't think that was safe, especially with the stuff that was written in it." Adora's eyes visibly widened when she realized what he was talking about. "So I switched out that crusty old lock for the one on that cabinet in that old witch's room."  
"My diary?! You not only read, but you changed the lock on my diary!! And to top it off you broke into Madam Razz's room and stole the lock on her ingredient cabinet. How could you do that?"  
"Well I hate to brag my pet," Imp started, flying over to Adora and kissing her quickly on the cheek, "but I am very handy with locks and stuff like that. I bet I could get in and out of anywhere."  
"Adora," cried Razz as she entered the warrior woman's room looking panic stricken. "Something weird is happening, dearie. Queen Angella's breakfast disappeared out of the kitchen, the lock on my cabinet is missing, all the bow strings have vanished, and Imp's not in his ce... Oh dearie my." Madam Razz visibly backed up when she saw Imp floating by the blonde. Adora however merely narrowed her eyes at the tiny thief.  
"Imp, what did you do with the bowstrings?"  
"I needed them to tow the tray up here; it was too big for me to hold while I flew and I couldn't find anything else to use," Imp said, his face the picture of innocence. Madam Razz looked at Adora, a curious expression on her face.   
"Please tell me you have some good news Madam."  
"Well I did find out something about that locket, but Queen Angella wanted me to report it at the council meeting. There is one problem though." Razz pointed at Imp who spotted the gesture and was none too pleased.  
"Hey, you got something to say to me, old hag, you can say it to me directly. You don't have to try to embarrass me in front of my lovely little swamp lady," Imp scowled, flying right in Razz's face as he blew a raspberry at her.   
"Oh you rude little brat. Dearie my, I have half a mind to..."  
"If you had it you wouldn't be able to spare it."  
"Enough! Imp you have to learn to behave yourself. Madam; when is the council meeting scheduled?"  
"In an hour."  
"Fine, I'll be there."  
"But what about..."  
"I'll deal with him, Madam, but if you both don't mind, I do have to get dressed for the day," Adora said, a little gruffer than she wanted but still at the end of her patience.   
"Oh I don't mind at all," Imp said as he landed on a small vanity, his eyes widening as he prepared to watch. Adora, realizing his intentions, grabbed the imp and quickly deposited him outside the door at Razz's feet, closing the door behind him as the small creature merely smiled in amusement.

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Queen Angella was sitting at the table accompanied by Glimmer, Bow, Madam Razz, and her sidekick Broom when Adora walked into the room sans Imp.  
"I'm glad you could make it, Adora. I was afraid you would be unable to get away from Imp. As you surely can understand it would be impossible for us to allow him to sit in on our meetings," Angella said.  
"I understand your Highness. And I want to apologize for his behavior this morning," Adora replied taking her seat between Bow and Angella.   
"Well dearie, I may have some good news. I've managed to decipher some of the passages on the locket's warning. Apparently what Starshine gave us is called the Locket of Love, made by the ancients of Etheria. The Locket has the power to make whoever wears it fall instantly in love with the next person he or she sees; hence why Imp has apparently fallen in love with you. The wearer's activities will then be centered on pleasing and protecting the object of their affections. It was originally made to be worn at weddings, to ensure the success of the marriages and such. Unfortunately, dearies, it fell into the wrong hands and was used to enslave hundreds of people. The good news is that a way was discovered to break the spell of the Locket… but I haven't been able to find out how yet. According to the texts though, the Locket should be kept with Imp, since it does seem to actively seek out unaffected individuals when it is loose. A side-effect of its creation I suppose."  
"So there is a way to break the spell?" Adora asked.  
"Oh yes, but what it is I don't know yet."  
"This may not be so bad a thing you know," Bow interjected, a thought moving through his agile mind.  
"What good could possibly come out of this, Bow?" Glimmer asked. "At best all we have is someone to trade back to Hordak. And that’s only if we can keep a hold of him, something that, as you've seen, is a fairly difficult task to accomplish if he isn’t interested in cooperating."  
"Yes Princess, but for now Imp is willing to work for US and the Horde doesn't know it," Bow answered.  
"What are you getting at Bow?" Angella asked, curious as to the archer's comment.  
"My plan to get the Horde vibra-crystal. Adora, you said Imp and Hordak were 'close', so chances are Imp knows where Hordak keeps the vibra-crystal. You heard him, he'll do anything for you, so..."  
"No," Adora stated interrupting Bow.  
"But all you'd have to do is..."  
"No. I would never do something so detestable."  
"What's so detestable about it?"  
"You're asking me to take advantage of another creature's emotions to get them to do something they would never do of their own free will. If I did that, it'd be no better than what the Horde does with its slaves."  
"No the Horde forces people to work against their will,” Bow said, trying to explain the rationale.  
"And if Imp were not under the spell of the Locket, he would flatly refuse to do anything we asked of him."  
"I'm afraid I must agree with Adora," Queen Angella interjected. "I refuse to sink to the Horde's level to win this war. And in any event, we don't know if there are any limitations or variations on the Locket's power. It was designed to be used on Etherians, but Imp isn't even from this planet so who knows what else it might do with his mind."   
"I think we've pretty much seen the extent of what the Locket's done to him. I think it’s a good plan; sort of a pay-back for all the underhanded things Hordak's done to us."  
"Bow I said..."  
"Adora!" screeched Imp's voice. Quickly following the yell, the doors to the council room open and in flew the little blue creature in question, obviously carrying something that was wiggling in his three fingered hands.  
"Oh no," Adora said dejectedly as her hand covered her face.  
"Oh there you are my sweet," Imp said, landing on the council table in front of the object of his desire. "I finished re-stringing the bows like you asked me to, so I thought I'd take a stroll by the pond and maybe snag a bouquet for you, when I came across this fat little guy." Imp lifted his hands to reveal a very large toad struggling to get free. "Doesn't he look tasty? I bet I can get the cook to stew him into a nice little romantic dinner for two." Imp finished with a comical attempt at a seductive smile on his porcine face. Adora's face turned a subtle shade of green as she gazed at what Imp seemed fully intent on feeding her, when the toad suddenly escaped the boy's grasp, making its escape towards a startled Glimmer.  
"Eww! Get that disgusting thing away from me," she screamed, using her light powers to lift the toad into the air and away from her. Suddenly, Imp's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed an angry red.  
"PUT THAT DOWN!!" He screamed as he lunged at Glimmer. "That's not your toad! How dare you touch my precious's dinner?!" Imp’s form altered as he adopted the shape of a laser pistol, firing at Glimmer.  
"Glimmer," Angella cried, acting just in time to move her daughter from harm's way as the shot zoomed by, blasting a hole in wall behind them. As the blue gun moved to take aim again, Adora jumped from her seat and grabed hold of him.  
"Imp... Stop it!" Adora yelled. Imp's body shifted back to its normal form once more, a bewildered look on the Hordesman's face.  
"But she was trying to steal your toad. I couldn't just let her get away with that," Imp explained, casting a nasty glance in Glimmer's direction, which was immediately met with Angella's own.  
"No she wasn't Imp. Glimmer was just catching it again. You didn't want it escaping did you?"  
"Well... I suppose not," Imp answered, though he sounded unsure..  
"And didn't I tell you to wait in my room until I returned?"  
"Um, yes. But I thought I'd surprise you with a few tokens of my affection." At this Adora's eyebrow raised as she realized such a statement from the little imp could not have a good ending. "Which reminds me, how should I tell the cook to prepare your toad?"  
"Ah... I tell you what Imp, the cook doesn't really do special orders.” At this a look came upon Imp’s face that said he would be very prepared to teach the chef to make an exception for her. Quickly she continued. “And while this is a very ‘sweet’ gesture, I really don't like toad that much. So why don't you take it back to the pond and then go back to my room like I originally asked. This meeting will be over soon and then I'll come back there, okay."  
"Ooooh… all right slime cheeks. I'll be waiting for you," Imp said as he reluctantly left.  
"I get the feeling that's not going to work all the time Adora. It may be wise for you to spend some time with him soon," Angella said.  
"What?"  
"He is under a spell of love and he wants to be near you. Unless that is satisfied, even in some small way, he may do something even more drastic to gain your attention. I do think that it is in everyone's best interest to keep him from causing trouble. Idle hands and all that."  
"Very well, your majesty," the Eternian Princess said, though she did not sound as though she enjoyed the prospect.  
"Now on to the next order of business. As you all have no doubt heard, the supplies we stole from the Horde yesterday have disappeared, replaced by sand. In light of our little friend's arrival, this is not surprising. Obviously the convoy we raided was simply a decoy to allow Imp to be inserted amongst us. This does present us with a problem. I redistributed this month's supplies to another Rebellion cell, which leaves us deficient as far as supplies go."  
"That’s not good news at all," Glimmer said.  
"We still have supplies enough to last us a week, but the problem remains the fact that it will take three times that time to fill our needs."  
"I take it we have a way to fix this," Bow said.  
"Yes. I contacted the village of Newmont. They have graciously consented to give us the surplus from their harvest. Newmont is only a few hours away from us and they were able to gather the food we need quickly."  
"Well that's certainly good news."  
"There is a problem. The caravan carrying the new supplies will be traveling right past a Horde outpost. The people of Newmont are all farmers, not fighters; one of the biggest reasons why they have a more passive role in the Rebellion. I need someone to help make sure the caravan makes it to us."  
"I know that route pretty well mother," Glimmer spoke up. "I could take a team to protect the wagons."  
"Thank you Glimmer. Now is there anything else to report?" asked the queen, though she received no answers. "Well then, I believe this concludes our meeting." That said, all five rebels got up and took their leave.

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Meanwhile in the Fright Zone, Hordak was getting more and more angry, a fact that did not go unnoticed by his subordinates.  
"(snort) WHERE IS HE?!?!?!" Hordak bellowed, pointing his transformed cannon arm at a nearby trooper and blowing the luckless robot to pieces. The Horde General began to pace in front of his throne, the blood and oil in his veins near boiling.  
"(wheeze) The locket may have proven harder to find than Imp thought (wheeze). It may simply be taking him longer than anticipated to get it," Shadow Weaver said in an effort to calm her leader. Hordak was in no mood for this tactic though, as was shown when he took a shot at Shadow Weaver. The blast, fueled more by anger than anything else, was easily repelled by Weaver's defensive shield, ricocheting into yet another robot.   
"Why did I send him on this mission?! (snort) I knew it was too dangerous!" Hordak continued to rant, oblivious to the angry glare Shadow Weaver was now giving him.  
"Mmmm I do not see what worrying will do, mighty Hordak," Mantenna said, "There is nothing we can do as long as he is within the Whispering Woods. Mmmm For all we know he could be lying dead in a tre... AHHH." The four legged monster screamed as he dodged a hail of laser fire from Hordak who had transformed his other arm, his legs, and his head into cannons.  
"Anything else to add, Mantenna?" Hordak growled menacingly as he returned to his normal form. He then turned back to Shadow Weaver. "Isn't there any way you can find out if he's all right?"  
"If there was a way for me to pierce the magic of the Whispering Woods(wheeze), I would have done it before this whole mess was started. (Wheeze) The jewel I gave him will let me know the instant he leaves that accursed forest however. (wheeze) All we can do is be patient." Hordak was still not calmed by this.   
"For your sake, (snort) I hope you're able to find him soo..."  
"He just left. (wheeze) Give me a minute to find him," the red witch said, raising her hands to summon her magical looking sphere. "It may take a while if he's hid... wait, (wheeze) there he is." As she stared into the orb, Shadow Weaver couldn’t help but be a touch disconcerted about how easy her task had been. While she would never openly admit it, the boy had a talent for staying undetected and should have been more difficult for her crystal ball to find.  
"Let me see," Hordak commanded, leaping from his throne to the red sorceress's side. As he stared into the opaque sphere, an image of Imp shimmered on its surface, a strange smile on his face. "Where is he? (snort) Is he on his way home?"  
"Give me a moment, Mighty One. (wheeze) This is not instant resolution." Shadow Weaver murmured a few more words and the rest of the sphere began to clear, showing the little blue creature in question flying through a village. This act is not as surprising as the identity of the companion he's flying with.  
"ADORA!!" Both Shadow Weaver and Hordak said in surprise, shock on their faces.  
"(snort) Why is Imp flying with her?" Hordak demanded of his witch   
"(wheeze) I don't know Hordak, (wheeze) but I shall attempt to find out." A few more murmurs and the sphere's glow changed from a white to a blue hue that matched Imp's own. "Very interesting (wheeze)."  
"What?"  
"There is a magical influence at work on the boy. (wheeze) I'm not sure what it is though. (wheeze) Whatever it is, (wheeze) it’s altering Imp's behavior. (wheeze) We must get him back here, or I fear you will lose his loyalty as you lost Adora’s."  
"Mmmm doesn't seem like Hordak's having much luck with allies," Mantenna whispered to a nearby Trooper who immediately began to back away. The robot is not fast enough and is destroyed by a blast from Hordak who, having vented his anger, immediately turned his attention back to Shadow Weaver's sphere.

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Adora walked through the village of Daemor's marketplace looking at all the stuff that was being sold. Behind her hovered her lovelorn suitor, looking eagerly around as well and hoping to spot something good for the object of his affections. Not one of the people they passed said anything, apparently because, at least according to Imp, as long as he didn't actually do anything to attract attention to himself and stayed out of any direct lines of sight, most human’s essentially ignored him as too bizarre to exist.  
 _‘Though I fail to see how a little blue monster flying through town and wearing the insignia of the Horde could be seen as not attracting attention,’_ Adora thought to herself as she lazily examined a necklace. Still no one seemed to be reacting and Adora was not about to rock the boat. Suddenly the Eternian Princess realized she could no longer hear her companion's wings flapping in the air. She turned around just in time to see Imp making a grab for the biggest, rottenest apple Adora had ever seen in the next stall. The problem was that the apple was currently supporting a pyramid of similar produce. Before she could stop him, the apple was removed and the whole pyramid came crashing down. Of course the shopkeeper hadn't seen Imp pull the apple out, all he saw was Adora before the pile fell.  
"Young lady, if you wanted an apple, I would have been happy to get you one from the TOP of the pile," the shopkeeper said, a scowl on his face. If he'd looked to his left as Adora had, he would have noticed a small blue apple suddenly grow eyes and begin to stare hate-filled daggers at him. Adora quickly grabbed the imp-turned-apple and smiled as sweetly as she could to the vendor.  
"I thought this apple looked so much better than the rest," she said in as ditzy avoice as she could make as she held up Imp for the man’s inspection. A subtle gesture with her hand let the shape-shifter know not to do anything. The vendor continued to put up the apples before finally acknowledging what Adora had said.  
"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to charge you triple the price for all the trouble you've caused."  
"Oh dear, I'm not sure I can spend that much on a single apple." Adora made a show of looking through her money purse before she finally pulled out three copper coins and handed them to the man, who immediately pocketed the money and told her to leave. As soon as they were both out of sight, Imp resumed his normal form and looked furious.  
"Why that stupid oaf. How dare he make you pay triple for one of his apples. I bet none of them have even been aged properly. I oughta go back there and trash that second-rate huckster's stand."  
"You will do no such thing Imp," Adora said. "What on Etheria possessed you to pull an apple from the bottom of the pile?"   
"I was hungry," Imp answered defensively, "and that apple looked like the only edible one in the lot."  
"So you just decided to take it."  
"Well if I'd asked the guy he would have noticed me and I thought you didn't want that to happen. You know, if you went back to the Horde we wouldn't have to travel incognito when we're on dates like this."  
"We are not on a date and I'm not going back to the Horde."  
"Oh come on my little slime sucker. I'm sure Hordak would forgive you for leaving us, especially if I ask him to."  
"That isn't even the first reason why I wouldn't go back."  
"Don't tell me you actually care for these losers. Come on Adora, you're too good for them. You're like a stinkweed in a bed of roses."  
"Imp that’s a terrible thing to say," Adora said, getting visibly angry at the younger creature's statements.  
"Oh I'm sorry my little sludge bucket." Imp backed away a little, realizing he'd somehow hurt Adora's feelings, though he had no idea how. Adora regained her calm and motioned for Imp to follow her as they continued their shopping. Imp's eyes darted from stand to stand as he looked for something that would get him back in his love's good graces. Soon his eyes landed on a necklace with a beautiful diamond at its center placed in a prominent position in a jewelry stand.  
‘Perfect,’ Imp thought as he flew over to the necklace and grabbed hold of it. Unfortunately he was not the only one interested in the piece of jewelry.   
"Oh I'm sorry sir, but I... I... I... AAAHHHH!!!" The vendor screamed when she saw what else had a hold of her necklace. The scream did the trick as the entire marketplace turned to see what had caused the commotion and finally took note of the villain in their midst.  
"It's a Hordesman!!!" Someone else screamed, pointing at the red bat symbol prominently displayed on Imp's young chest. A crowd began to gather as people formed a circle around Imp who continued to hold on to the necklace. Some of the townspeople had picked up planks of wood and other crude weapons, angry looks in their eyes as they glared at the boy. Sensing his imminent danger, Imp backed away a bit. He had not survived so long in the Horde by staying in reach of those bigger than himself.  
"Don't let the beast get away!"  
"Tear its wings off!"  
"As if any of you wimps have the guts to take me on," Imp retorted, finally ripping the necklace from the girl's hands. He was about to take off when a rock struck him, knocking him off the stand and onto the ground. Stunned, and just a bit addled, Imp was still able to get to his feet, a snarl on his lips as he growled and barred his fangs at the mob. "That's one death warrant signed. And when I'm done with the rest of you, you'll wish you'd joined him." Imp transformed into his laser rifle form and began to shoot at villagers, and they in turn threw more objects at the little creature, though neither side was able to do any real damage to the other. Finally one of the villagers was able to get close enough to grab hold of Imp and smacked him against the wall of a stand. The blow was enough to force Imp to return to his normal form and the man that hit him quickly grabbed the small monster by his arms, pinning them to his sides.  
"Let's see you get out of this ru... AAAH!" the villager’s threat was cut off by a scream as his hands were punctured by the quills of the blue porcupine he now held. As the porcupine landed, the creature transformed back into Imp. Free now, Imp grabbed the necklace and stuffed it into his pockets, taking to the air for a renewed escape. Suddenly two slender hands grabbed him by the hips and pulled him back down. He twisted around, ready for a fight only to find himself staring into the frowning face of Adora.  
"Oh, hi Adora," he said sheepishly.  
"Don't 'hi' me Imp,” the woman angrily retorted. “No sooner do I tell you not to get into anymore trouble then you create a mob scene." Adora carefully reached into Imp's pocket and pulled out the necklace, handing it back to the vendor. Then, turning to the crowd, she addressed them. "Don't worry folks, the situation is under control. You can return to business as normal and I'll take care of this."  
"You heard her folks, there's nothing to see here," came Bow's voice as he broke through the crowd. The villagers grudgingly left, some mumbling how they'd rather tear the Hordesman to pieces, but obedient all the same.  
"Thanks Bow."  
"You're welcome my dear. I had heard that you and our little house-guest were on a ‘date.’"  
"Yeah we are, so you can butt out,” Imp spat, clearly not enjoying the fact that the chivalrous archer was stealing his supposed thunder.  
"Imp!" Adora yelled. "No, we were not on a date. And you little boy have been very bad. I thought you said you'd behave?"  
"I am behaving, sweetie. I'm behaving like I always do."  
"I have no doubt of that," Kowl interrupted. "Manners are not something you Horde hooligans are known for."  
"You wanna make something of it bird-brain," Imp retorted, escaping Adora’s grip and flying right in Kowl's face. "I clocked ya last night, I can clock ya again."  
"Imp, when I told you to behave, that meant no mischief or thievery."   
"But..."  
"Do you have any idea how close you came to having your limbs strewn about the Whispering Woods?"  
"Ah none of those geeks could take me on. You saw how I had them all on the ropes."  
"I also saw you mutilate a man's hands and try to blast innocent people, all for a necklace that wasn't even yours to begin with."  
"Well I..." Imp began to fluster as Adora became increasingly angrier thinking on his deeds of the day.  
"You've caused nothing but trouble all day. First you sent the royal guards into an uproar with that bowstring trick. Then you spooked all the farm animals in the village and even let them loose."  
"I... I wanted to make the ground flat for you."  
"Oh yes a very considerate gesture, just like when you tried to find the ring I lost and uprooted the Queen's whole garden to do it. But refresh my memory, why did you put the banana peels in the castle hallways?"   
"You told Razzle Dazzle that you wished you had something to laugh about. That trick always makes me laugh."  
"So you were also eavesdropping. And I suppose the slugs in the kitchen were to add to the decor."  
"Oh no, they... were... kinda... a suggestion?" At this point Adora was fuming while Bow and Kowl were struggling keep from breaking into hysterical laughter. Everything could be considered funny when it happened to someone else.  
"A suggestion? For what?"  
"Uh... dinner," came a sheepish answer. Adora's face suddenly went blank with this explanation.  
"Look, I can't deal with this right now,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “I still have some shopping to..."  
"Cool, I'll come..."  
"NO!!" Adora shouted. "You will return to the castle and you will stay in my room until I get back. Bow, do you mind escorting Imp back."   
"As you command Adora," Bow said, giving an overly exaggerated salute. Bow and Kowl began to leave and, however reluctantly, Imp does follow, flapping dejectedly behind them. Adora was then able to turn around to head back to the market-place when she spotted Madam Razz and Broom, worried expressions on both their faces.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The walk back to the castle went in silence, with the exception of the sounds of the two flyers doing what they did best. For his part, Bow was in deep thought, casting occasional glances at the sad little imp. The creature seemed to be muttering something and Bow, a self-styled expert on matters of the heart, could just guess what he was saying.  
"What am I doing wrong? I thought girls loved it when you do stuff for 'em and give 'em presents."  
"Adora isn't like most girls my friend. Perhaps you need some other deed to impress the lady," Bow said. Imp looked at him like he'd grown a second head.  
"What would you know about it mustache?"  
"Well I know that the tricks you're presently using are not getting the attention you want from Adora, but my plan would make you irresistible to her. That is, of course, if you want it bad enough."  
"I'd do anything for Adora."  
"Anything?"  
"Yes," Imp replied, a determined look on his face. Kowl flew up to Bow at this point.  
"What ARE you doing?" he whispered into his friend’s ear.  
"Just play along Kowl," Bow whispered back. The archer then refocused his attentions on Imp. "That vibra-crystal of Hordak's would probably be a splendid gift for Adora."  
"Hah," Imp laughed, "you must think I have tapioca for brains. I heard the chicken queen tell you she didn't want to try that ludicrous plan of yours and Adora agreed with her."  
"Ah but circumstances have changed. Adora didn't want to risk someone’s safety, but you're still a Hordesman, Hordak's favorite if I'm not mistaken, correct?"  
"Yeah…” the shape-shifter answered suspiciously.   
"You could easily get the crystal from wherever Hordak's hidden it and I'm sure he wouldn't mind if it was you who took it. He'd probably just send for another one."  
"The question isn't whether I could get the vibra-crystal from Hordak; the question is should I. No way am I gonna turn traitor on Hordak."   
"Who said anything about turning traitor. All you have to do is fly in, grab the jewel, and fly out. Then before you know it, Adora will probably smother you in kisses." At the last statement, Imp got a sudden dreamy look in his eyes as he imagined the scene playing out for him.  
"Well I guess it couldn't hurt. And Adora would definitely love the jewel. It looks like a diamond and vibrates so strong it can make your teeth chatter."  
"Well if you're going to do it, then I suggest you go now so you'll get back before Adora finds out you're gone. You are supposed to be in her room and I'd hate for you to get into trouble. I'll wait here for you to return."  
"I'll be there and back before you know it."

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

"I thought you were busy figuring out how to break the locket's spell?" Adora asked, her tone a touch harsher than she really intended it to be, but the stress of the day preventing her from doing anything about it.  
"That's why we came to find you dearie, but if this is a bad time for you we can talk later," Razz said as she prepared to mount Broom and fly off.   
"No it’s all right Madam."  
"You seemed so angry a moment ago, and I'm not sure this news is the best thing for you to hear." Adora looked down shame-facedly, beginning to regret her angry words towards Imp.  
"He is just getting so annoying. I'm almost surprised I didn't notice how badly he behaved when I lived in the Fright Zone."  
"Yeah, you'd think even an adult monster would know how to behave civil," Broom said, gazing intently at Adora.  
"That's just it. He's not an adult, is he? He's just a kid who's growing up with the worst influences," Adora said. "I should have been more patient with him. The sad fact is he really DOESN’T know any better. Hordak encourages the worst aspects of his personality, so it's no wonder he behaves the way he does. But still..."  
"I know dearie. But maybe he'll pick up some better habits while he's here."  
"Why does that sound so final?"  
"I've looked through every book I have and read the instructions that came with the Locket of Love over and over, and I can't figure out how the ancients were able to break the spell. I'm afraid he's stuck like this."   
"That won't do. Eventually Hordak's going to come looking for him, maybe even with an army. We can't put everyone in that much danger."   
"I don't know if either of you have thought of this already," Broom spoke up, "but that rainbow thingy at the Crystal Castle is pretty old. Maybe it knows how break the spell."  
"Light Hope," Adora and Madame Razz cried simultaneously.  
"Oh, why didn't I think of this before?"  
"Broomy you're brilliant," Razz said, hugging the wooden creature tightly and causing his face to blush.  
"Ah shucks, you're just sayin' that ‘cause it’s true."  
"Madam if you'll cover for me, I'll go to the Crystal Castle and see if Light Hope doesn’t know the secret behind undoing the Locket’s powers."  
"All right dearie, but please get back here soon. I don't think we can survive much more of Imp." With that, Adora took off to find Spirit who was grazing in a field nearby.  
"Spirit, I'm sorry to interrupt your meal but I need to get to the Crystal Castle in a hurry."  
"Does this have anything to do with that little blue bat-thing that tried to feed me a rotten apple and tangled my mane?"  
"Well yes. With any luck Light Hope knows how to get him to go back ho..." Before Adora could even finish, Spirit had reached over to her harness, yanked out the Sword of Protection, and placed it in his mistress's hands.  
"Then what are we waiting for, the sooner we get back, the sooner he’ll finally leave." A quick smile flashed over the young woman's face before she became serious again, raising her sword above her head.  
"For the honor... Of Grayskull." Once more the jewel in the sword flashed its rainbow color as multi-colored explosions of light shot forth from the blade and a circle of golden light surrounded Adora. Soon the small explosions of light subsided and a shower of golden sparks began to fall from sword's tip, empowering and transforming Adora. "I am… She-Ra!" As soon as this was said a bright emerald light surrounded both She-Ra and Spirit, shielding them from view. She-Ra raised her sword, pointing it so that the jewel was aimed at her beloved horse, an act which elicited a soft beam of power forth which immediately began to swirl around Spirit. The horse bowed his head as he shed his illusion, revealing the existence of a long spiral horn on his forehead and a pair of magnificent rainbow colored wings at his sides. A chest and face guard of pink and blue also appeared on the revealed pegacorn's body, completing the transformation into Swift Wind. When the emerald light began to fade, Swift Wind once more raised his head and stretched his wings, ready to take She-Ra to the Crystal Castle.   
"Let's go," She-Ra cried as she leapt onto Swift Wind's back. Immediately the pegacorn spread his magnificent wings and galloped into the sky.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Elsewhere Imp had already entered the Fright Zone, careful to keep out of sight of the Troopers. After all there was no sense letting Hordak know he was back, especially since the cybernetic overlord would undoubtedly want a reason for Imp being so late and such a confrontation would lead to too many questions the young monster was simply not prepared to answer yet. Plus, if no one knew he was in the Fright Zone, there was no way the theft of the vibra-crystal could be pinned on him.  
All went well until two guards rounded a corner as Imp was doing the same. Fortunately, they were so absorbed in their own private conversation that they weren't able to see Imp before he soared up higher. The tiny creature made a mental note to watch these two; if they screwed up this badly once they'd probably be useful as scapegoats when they did it again. That was when he finally spotted his destination. Malevolence Tower, the tallest structure in all the Fright Zone, and the main headquarters for the Horde on Etheria. It rose in the sky like a great jagged rock, guns and other defensive weaponry jutting out from its many ledges. No windows could be seen anywhere on the walls and even the few vents were armed with lasers to bar entry. Horde Troopers moved in and out of the gigantic double doors at the tower’s base, giving the appearance of a silver river flowing through the domineering structure. For all intents and purposes, it truly looked impossible to get into the building without being seen or destroyed. Impossible, unless you'd been privy to the plans when the tower was built. Imp landed just beside a slanted ground vent with a grate over it just as a blast of red hot flame shot forth into the air, singeing anything unfortunate enough to get caught in the fire.  
 _‘If I remember correctly, this leads directly to the power-source for the whole building, the Infernos Furnace,’_ Imp thought, watching the flames recede back into the Malevolence Tower. _‘There's about two hundred feet worth of tunnel leading into the tower basement and that fire shoots out about every half minute. That may keep out the riffraff, but I'm hardly threatened by such a barrier.’_ A quick transformation and Imp became a crowbar that quickly worked the grate off the opening.  
Returning to his normal form, Imp waited only a few seconds before a new fireball launched itself into the air. As soon as the flames subsided, the little blue creature turned into a rocket and, with a small roar, set off down the tunnel at high speed. He traveled at such a speed he didn't even bother to count out his time and even made it to the end of the tunnel with ten seconds to spare.  
"Another defense bites the dust," Imp cried as he landed by the furnace, making a victory symbol with his claws just before the furnace shot forth another fireball which managed to scorch Imp's tail. "Ow!!" Rubbing the burned spot on his body quickly, the tiny monster again took off, flying for a bit before landing next to a small metal vent. Imp smiled as he pulled the grating off the metal tunnel. He'd been using the ventilation shafts for almost two years to sneak around the base, ever since he'd noticed that they lead to everywhere in Malevolence Tower. No one else seemed to realize that almost every room in the whole building was connected by the system, and Imp found he could get into everything from Grizzlor's gym to Catra's dressing room. His smug smile grew wider with this memory. Imp's wings folded themselves over his back to avoid snagging on the metal seams and he crawled into the shaft, pulling the grate behind him.  
 _‘Okay, just five yards to the nearest lift, then I just have to ride one of the cars to the thirtieth floor. That's where Hordak keeps all the important stuff,’_ Imp thought as he crawled through the winding metal maze. Every so often a soft cry emanated from the thief's lips as his skin scraped against the screws and other imperfections in the walls, but it didn't take very long for Imp to reach his destination. Carefully he peered through the grate at the storeroom, searching for any other occupants who might cause trouble. _‘Empty; just like I like it.’_ Hopping out of his hiding place, Imp quickly scanned the room, his eyes falling on a small, clear blue crystal behind a force-field. The jewel was cut in a double diamond shape and appeared unnaturally flawless to the eyes. This was not surprising, considering there was nothing natural about the gem. Nonchalantly Imp walked over to the force-field control board and punched in the code to shut down the system before grabbing the crystal.   
"I hope Adora really does appreciate the trouble I went through for her new gift," Imp said to himself. Suddenly a new thought entered his mind as he realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute, something ain't right about this vibra-crystal, it’s not vibrating."  
"(snort) That's because we weren't sure if we'd be able to catch you before you left, (snort) my little thief," came a new voice Imp immediately recognized. The monster in question slowly turned around to find two Horde Troopers pointing rifles at him and Shadow Weaver off to the side a little, her eyes narrowed in anger. It was the fourth figure that dominated the scene however; Hordak stood in front of the trio, his arms crossed and an angry expression on his bony face.  
"Uh, hi... hiya b... boss. H... How ya been?”   
"Oh fine. (snort) I was just a touch worried about you when you didn't return this morning. (snort) Of course from the looks of things, perhaps I needn’t have worried quite so much.”  
"I... I can explain boss."  
"(wheeze) Lord Hordak has been watching. (wheeze) He knows all about what's going on, worm. I must say even I am disappointed in you. (wheeze) I thought you had more sense than this."  
"What's she talking about?"  
"Oh come on Imp, (snort) don't tell me you don't see it." A simple gesture from Hordak and Shadow Weaver activated her looking glass which instantly replayed the scene between Imp and Bow, causing the tiny monster to laugh sheepishly as he backed up just a bit.  
"Like I said, I can explain this all boss."  
"That's not what I'm talking about Imp. (snort) I know all about you're little problem. I just don't think you understand what else is going on."  
"Huh?"  
"(wheeze) Do you actually believe the idiotic archer is going to let you give Adora that crystal."  
"He'll probably just take it from you and give it to Angela; claim he sent you to get it on his own (snort)." Hordak paused as he placed his real hand on Imp's shoulder. "He'll claim to be the man that tamed the beast." At these words Imp's eyes narrowed to angry slits.  
"(wheeze) You do know that he is also in love with Adora, (wheeze) don't you?"  
"What!!!" Imp screamed, jumping into the air in anger. Hordak feigned an innocent voice as he consoled his youthful minion.  
"You mean you didn't know that? I would have thought you'd know there would be rivals for the fair maiden's hand."  
"I'll tear 'em apart if they come anywhere near my swamp princess!"   
"(wheeze) That's a brilliant idea, (wheeze) and after you've killed off all her rebellion friends that you think are a threat, (wheeze) Adora will most definitely want to be near you then."  
"Of course, there are alternatives open to you."  
"Such as?" Imp asked, a bushy eyebrow arching on his face.   
"(snort) All you need to do is get the competition out of the way, right? (snort) I don't know of anything that escapes my prison camps. And best of all since everyone believes you to currently lack the free-will to do a set up like this, (snort) you'll be in clear."  
"Yeah,” Imp said, a pleased smile on his face as he considered this. Then a disturbing thought came to his mind. “Adora may not like this, though."  
"How is she going to find out?" Hordak responded reassuringly. "You want her all to yourself, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"(wheeze) And Bow did try to trick you first, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"And all is fair in the battle for a lady's heart, right?"  
"Yeah!"  
"(wheeze) And since you are a member of the Horde, (wheeze) why not use it to your advantage. (wheeze) We'd be more than happy to help a young romantic find true love. (wheeze) Why, I’m sure even Horde Prime would agree it is the Horde’s duty to do such." At these words Imp's face took on a distinctly malevolent look, complete with a cruel smile that showed both of his sharp fangs.  
"Not only would you get the girl, but you'd be a hero to the Horde. (snort) And I would personally provide you with a place you and the Princess could 'escape' to. We could even set it up to look like you rescued her from Etheria."  
"(wheeze) Women do love men who save their lives child, trust me."  
"So what do you say Imp?" Hordak asked, placing his other hand on the imp's other shoulder, allowing him to stare into his sidekick's large yellow eyes.  
"When can we start?" came Imp's reply. The smile on his blue face grew bigger and was matched by Hordak's own.

& & &

Bow was bored. He hated waiting while others had all the fun, but Queen Angella had been adamant about him going into the Fright Zone after the vibra-crystal. Behind him came a light snoring sound emanating from Kowl who had fallen asleep on Arrow's back. The little bird-creature had worn himself out warning Bow of all the ways his plan to get the crystal could go awry.  
 _‘Blast that little nuisance. How long does it take to get a small jewel you already know the location of,’_ the archer thought to himself. That's when he noticed a small form slowly limping its way towards him from the direction of the Fright Zone. It had to be Imp.  
"Kowl get up, I think our package just arrived."  
"Wha... What?" A still groggy Kowl said as he rubbed his eyes. "Bow, I was having the most wonderful dream; why did you wake me up?" Kowl took flight as Bow jumped on his horse's back ready to ride off.  
"I think that's Imp out there, and from the looks of it he may have gotten hurt. Angella will throw a fit if he's not in one piece." So saying Bow rode out to meet Imp. Sure enough, the young monster looked terrible. His wings were full of holes and there were numerous cuts and bruises all over his body. His left foot/hoof was swollen and all his hair, even his eyebrows, still had smoke coming out of it as if he'd been in a fire. One of the straps that held his uniform up had snapped and there were several tears in the rest of the black material. The poor boy wobbled unsteadily and Bow could almost swear one of his fangs was missing. All in all, Imp made for a very pathetic sight.   
But despite it all, he still held the vibra-crystal in his hands.  
"What happened to you?" Kowl asked, a tone of concern creeping into his voice. If Kowl noticed this, it didn't seem to bother him as he landed next to the ailing creature and helped to steady him.  
"There were more traps in that tower than I thought," a weak smile crossed the monsterling’s face as he listened to his own joke, "but I got it."  
"Let me see," Bow said, reaching out to grab the jewel. Imp's hand jerked back almost automatically.  
"Wait, I thought I was supposed to give this to Adora."  
"Don't worry about it kid. Adora told you to go back to her room. If you give the jewel to her directly, you might get into even hotter water. I can ease her into the idea. Trust me."  
"Well... Allll right," Imp said, tentatively handing the jewel to Bow.  
"Good choice," Bow said closing his hand over the crystal. Suddenly something caught his attention. "Why is it getting hotter?"  
"Gee, maybe it's a fake and you've just been had," Imp answered, jumping into the air as the illusion cast on him by Shadow Weaver ended and he was revealed to be in a perfectly healthy condition. Before Bow could react to this new development, the crystal in his hand exploded in a flash of bright, white light. As the light died down, Bow stood frozen in place by the magical trap, along with Kowl and Arrow. Imp fluttered up to Bow, a wicked smile on his face. "Not so tough now, are ya string-bean." The treacherous child pushed a button on his insignia, activating the hands-free communicator at his chest. "Got 'em, guys. You can come pick him up." Out of the sky came a Horde flyer which landed beside the paralyzed heroes. From the ship exited five brawny looking Horde Troopers who walked over to grab the three trapped figures.  
"Hordak sends his congratulations on a job well done. We'll take it from here."  
"I'm coming along, Trooper," Imp stated before the trooper could leave.  
"I thought you were staying here to meet up with the rebels?"  
"I'll come back later, right now I wanna make sure this jerk gets taken care of." So saying, Imp and the trooper boarded the ship and headed back to the Fright Zone.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Landscape flew under them as She-Ra and Swift Wind soared through the air on their way to the Crystal Castle. She-Ra had to admit, when she felt the wind racing through her hair and saw the beautiful country-side, it was hard to remember the planet's current troubles with the Horde. For a few precious moments the Princess of Power could forget that she was in a war against an enemy that would do anything to conquer Etheria. But fantasy always gives way to reality, and for She-Ra that happened when she looked over the horizon to the polluted skies over the Fright Zone. It stood out against the clear skies like a blight that ever expanded, marring the beauty of She-Ra's adopted world. Soon the landscape began to take on the barren and forbidding countenance of Spike Point, a sign to the warrior woman that they were nearing Skydancer Mountain, at the top of which stood the majestic Crystal Castle. Swift Wind carefully landed on a mountain ledge near the top, where the mists that hid the castle hid them as well. Both pegacorn and rider knew the air was too thin to simply fly to the castle's entrance, leaving them to walk the rest of the way through a tunnel.  
Finally, the duo made it to the giant ruby that served as the Crystal Castle's only door. Inside the shining building was dark and cavernous, almost spooky in appearance; save for the soft blue glow that permeated the area giving any occupants an odd sense of serenity upon entering. In the center of the castle's main room stood the source of blue glow, a shallow pool of the purest of waters. As She-Ra walked up to the pool a shaft of rainbow light ascended from its surface to the ceiling, its radiant colors overpowering the simple blue glow.   
"She-Ra, it is good to see you again," a deep and powerful voice said, the echo of the room helping to further amplify its power. Though no human creature was around, it could almost be sensed that the voice belonged to the rainbow of energy.  
"I wish this were a social call Light Hope but..."  
"I already know of you problems, Princess of Power. One of your former allies has fallen under the influence of the Locket of Love and you wish to know the way to release him from the spell, correct," the energy entity stated more than asked.  
"Yes," She-Ra answered back, "and I need the information quickly, before he causes more trouble, or worse."  
"Long ago the Locket of Love was created with the best of intentions. But its power was corrupted for evil purposes. When it was finally defeated, it was intended for both it and its cure to be sent here to the Crystal Castle for safekeeping. Unfortunately, the locket was lost in transit."  
"And the cure?"  
"It is here, but I must ask you to return both it and the locket to me when you are done."  
"But the locket belongs to Starshine."  
"I am well aware of that, and I will provide you with an identical but powerless copy with which you can replace the original. The true locket has proven too dangerous to allow to remain in Etheria, and Queen Spectra's treasury will be no less richer for the switch."  
"Very well Light Hope." As soon as She-Ra said this, a piece of the back wall slid open to reveal an alcove full of treasures.  
"The Locket of Love can amplify present emotions or instill false ones for its victims, subverting any other desires for its own. Inside this alcove is a mirror that reflects only the truth and possesses the power to dispel the lie of the locket." So saying a shaft of rainbow colored light broke away from Light Hope’s ethereal body and shined on an ornate hand mirror of purest silver. She-Ra moved to collect the artifact when Light Hope spoke up again. "You must hurry though, the locket's wielder has already begun to cause trouble in your name."  
"What do you mean?" She-Ra asked, worry entering her voice. Another shaft of rainbow light split from the spirit and generated a looking globe for She-Ra which replayed the events that had transpired with Bow.  
"You must go to the Fright Zone to free your friend and break the spell of the Locket. But be warned, the Locket's power may allow the imp to see through your identity. His actions may expose your secret if you're not careful."  
"Thank you for all your help Light Hope," She-Ra said as she turned on her heel to leave, tucking the mirror she’d come for into her belt.  
"You are most welcome, my friend," Light Hope called after her. As soon as the warrior woman was safely gone, Light Hope's rainbow form suddenly grew dimmer and thinner and his once grand voice took on a much weaker tone. "I only hope I am able to help you longer."

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"Well Rebel, it appears this is the end to the trouble you've caused me," Hordak menacingly said to Bow who was behind a glass cylinder along with Kowl. Behind Hordak floated Shadow Weaver who watched the scene play out in indifference.  
"When my friends find out where I am, they'll tear this place apart to find me. And when they do, I'll make you regret anything you've done to Arrow," Bow angrily stated.  
"Ha, by the time they find out you were ever here you'll be in a slave mine where they'll never find you in a million years," Imp countered, flying right up to the glass to taunt the human.  
"You can't possibly think you'll get away with this Imp," Kowl said.   
"How's anyone gonna pin this on me. I'll just say you two took me back ta Brightmoon like Adora told ya to. I can't really be blamed for anything that happened afterwards can I?"  
"Now now Imp, there's no need to be rude to our new ‘employees.’ (snort) There will be plenty of time to..."  
"Mmmm Hordak!! Mmmm Hordak!!" came Mantenna's voice as the four legged villain came running into the room. "It's She-Ra, she's here!"  
"(wheeze) Then stop her you simpleton," Shadow Weaver said, her eyes narrowing to slits of annoyance.  
"Mmmm we're trying to but..." Before Mantenna could finish, two Horde Troopers flew past him, crashing into the wall with a loud bang. A few seconds later, She-Ra walked into the room, a determined look on her face.   
"She-Ra! (snort) Do you have any idea how much it costs to replace those troopers you destroy every time you decide to visit me?"   
"I can think of many ways you can end that expense," She-Ra replied. "Now I have been having a lousy past few days, so I will tell you only once; let Bow and Kowl go." In response, Shadow Weaver began to mumble a spell, taking advantage of the verbal match between her foe and her ally.  
"(wheeze) I'm afraid things aren't going to get any better for you my dear." Shadow Weaver lifted her hands and a paralytic emerald mist spread out of her nails to swiftly travel towards She-Ra. The princess took in a sharp breath of air, then forcefully exhaled, blowing the mist back at Shadow Weaver who immediately had too teleport to avoid the effects of her own spell.  
"I’m going to have to assume you won't cooperate." In response Hordak and Mantenna both fired their respective lasers, both missing She-Ra as she dodged with a long jump before heading for the cylinder that held her friends captive. For his part Imp simply landed on the cell's control panel and looked on as the scene unfolded; watching She-Ra in particular with a dreamy look in his eye. Just as She-Ra reached the cylinder, she was forced to jump out of the way as a speeding ball of lighting slammed into the area she had previously occupied. She looked up to see Shadow Weaver charging another attack as Mantenna and Hordak continued their volley of laser fire.  
"We have to stop her," Hordak yelled, his blood and oil beginning to boil in rage.  
"Mmmm I have a new trick that should stop her, Master," Mantenna said. Before Hordak could even give his permission, Mantenna's eyes popped out of his head and released four orbs of energy which then explode into a scattershot. The attack did little in the way of damage however, as She-Ra dodged all the little lasers easily.  
"If that's the best you can do, then I suggest you get some better help Hordak."  
"(wheeze) Mantenna may be ineffective against you my dear, (wheeze) but he does make an excellent distraction," Shadow Weaver said, releasing a gigantic lightning ball that struck the wall behind She-Ra, sending rubble falling down upon the heroine. As the dust cleared, Hordak stood over a pinned She-Ra, his cannon arm pointed directly at her head.  
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this, She-Ra. (snort) Give my regards to oblivion." The cannon began to charge as Hordak prepared to deliver the final blow.  
"NOOO!!!" A shrill voice yelled and suddenly Hordak cried out in pain as a bolt of electricity surged through his body. Hordak, Shadow Weaver, and Mantenna turned to destroy their new opponent, only to find Imp flying in the air, transformed into a shock rifle with a smoking barrel. Hordak's eyes widened in shock as Imp reverted back to his normal form.  
"Imp why did you do that?!" Hordak angrily yelled. An expression of horror crept onto Imp's face as he realized what he'd done.  
"I... I... She... You... I couldn't... You would've... I didn't mean to...," stammered the scared monster. Shadow Weaver looked on in disbelief as well.  
 _‘Imp is Hordak's most loyal ally. Why would he attack Hordak to save She-Ra?’_   
"Mmmm Traitor!" Mantenna cried and, reacting on pure instinct, fired his laser eyes at the still struggling Imp. The blasts hit their target and Imp cried out in pain as he fell from the sky. Too late did Mantenna realize what he had done and just what the ramifications of his action would be. Slowly he turned his head coming face to face with a furious Hordak whose cannon arm now pointed directly at him.  
"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Hordak screamed.  
"Mmmm Lord Hordak, please forgive me. It was the heat of the moment. I-I was just defending you," the villain begged. Hordak responded by shooting at the hapless Hordesman who immediately ran for his life, only to be struck from above by the falling Imp, and falling to the ground in a crumpled heap.  
"Get up Mantenna, (snort) I want to see your face when I blow it away." Mantenna didn't stir at this.  
"(Wheeze) Come on you fool, Hordak has given you a command." Shadow Weaver said, traveling over to inspect the two fallen creatures. At the sound of her voice, Mantenna almost immediately sat up and stared at Shadow Weaver, a golden glint shinning from the locket that now hung from his neck.  
"Mmm anything you say, my lovely little spell-slinger," Mantenna said as he glanced slyly at the sorceress. Before Shadow Weaver could react, the speedy monster had his hands clamped around her body in a mad embrace as he began to plant kisses all over her hooded face. "Speak your commands into my ears, my pet, mmmm and it will be my most divine mission to fulfill them."  
"(wheeze) Get away from me," Shadow Weaver said, using her magic to blast the offending creature away. The blast didn't stop Mantenna though, who kept coming after his love.  
"What is going on?" Hordak asked, lowering his gun as he stared in confusion at the scene.  
"(wheeze) He must be under the spell of the locket. (wheeze) It's more powerful than I thought. (wheeze) I can't wait to study it." Again Mantenna approached the red witch, this time with a new intent.   
"If you like this locket so much my sweet, please enjoy it with my compliments." Mantenna quickly undid the latch of the necklace and placed it around Shadow Weaver's neck.  
"No! (Wheeze) Don't put that on me," Shadow Weaver cried, blasting Mantenna away again. It was too late, for the locket had locked itself around the woman's neck and her picture had appeared in its blank parchment. As she looked up, a second picture took its place on the other side of the locket. Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed in a sultry fashion as she clasped her hands together and floated over to the object of her desire. "Oh Hordicans," she cooed softly.  
"Not you too," Hordak said, ducking out of Shadow Weaver's reach. Unseen by the three villains, She-Ra moved the rocks that held her and got up, resuming her trek to Bow's cage.  
"What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time Bow?"  
"We had some bad luck with a mission. I would be eternally grateful if you could let me out, good lady," Bow answered in a slightly exaggerated fashion. Without another word, She-Ra wrapped her arms around the glass cylinder and, with a mighty heave, pulled the entire case off its stand and threw it away.  
"Oh thank you She-Ra," Kowl said, flying up to the blonde. "I don't much care for being pheasant under glass."  
"You're welcome Kowl, but now you both better get out of here."  
"Aren't you coming?" asked the auburn-haired archer.  
"I still have to put an end to all the trouble the Locket of Love has caused."  
"Well perhaps we can help."  
"I think we may have done enough today Bow." Suddenly, an angry scream was heard as Mantenna finally saw Shadow Weaver and Hordak.  
"You back-stabbing ground slug!! How dare you try to steal my precious Shady Weavy!!" Mantenna yelled, firing his laser eyes at Hordak. Before the beams could hit their target, Shadow Weaver floated into their path, raising her arms and summoning her magical shield.  
"(wheeze) None will harm Hordak (wheeze) while I draw breath," the crimson-clad sorceress declared as the beams were deflected. With the danger past, Shadow Weaver immediately turned around and kissed Hordak on the cheek, causing his eyes to widen in embarrassed shock at the act. Mantenna's eyes also widen and his mouth dropped open in disbelief.  
"Why you bonehead Casanova wannabe, mmmm I'll tear you apart with my bear hands!" Mantenna used his four legs to make an incredible lunging leap at Hordak, tackling the Horde general before his guardian could react. Given the difference both in their physical abilities and prowess at hand to hand combat, it didn't take long for Hordak to regain control of the fight slamming Mantenna into the ground. Not to be easily beaten, Mantenna tried to defend himself by throwing a punch directly at his master's face, only managing to hit a magical shield courtesy of Shadow Weaver. Suddenly two strong hands grabbed each of the villains by the back of their necks, roughly pulling them apart.  
"I think that's enough fighting for one day. Now why don't you two go cool down," She-Ra commanded.  
"AAAAAAHHH!!! (wheeze) I'll make you pay for hurting my beloved." So saying, Shadow Weaver once more began to throw balls of energy at She-Ra. Quickly the heroine dodged the attack, pulling out the mirror as she did so.  
"I am getting very tired of being shot at Weaver. Let's see if this doesn't fix your need to blow me up." She-Ra pointed the mirror at Shadow Weaver and, as soon as her reflection was caught in the glass, a purple beam of energy began to flow forth from the polished surface, wrapping around the sorceress who began to rock as the magic permeated her being and cleansed her.  
"Uh... Uh... Oh...," Shadow Weaver moaned before falling to the ground, blissfully asleep. The locket, now temporarily powerless, fell off her neck and into She-Ra's waiting hands.  
"NOOOOO!!!!" Mantenna cried in anguish as he rushed at She-Ra. "I'll make you pay for what you've done to my honey-wumpuss."   
"That's enough from you as well," She-Ra said, lifting the mirror once more to catch Mantenna's face. As before the purple energy once more wrapped around its target and Mantenna's four legs suddenly stepped out to support his body, keeping him standing even as he fell asleep. "Now there's only one left." She-Ra looked around the room, only to find her final target, Imp, was missing.  
"What is that mirror?" Hordak's asked voice as he walked up to his enemy, his eyes never moving from the object in the woman's hand lest it prove to be dangerous to him as well.   
"It is the cure for the Locket of Love's spell. Mantenna and Shadow Weaver should be all right when they wake up. But I still have to use this on Imp, so you might as well tell me where you're hiding him."  
"Contrary to what you believe my dear, I have no idea where Imp is. More than likely he simply took off during the fight while we were all distracted."  
"We have to find him if you want that spell removed," She-Ra advised matter-of-factly as she left to pursue Imp.

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_‘WHAT have I done, what HAVE I done? I can't believe I attacked HIM!! He had the perfect shot at turning She-Ra into swiss cheese and I blew it. I can't believe it!!! I owe Hordak everything, and I just shot him. But he was gonna kill her. Why couldn't I let him kill She-Ra, it's Adora I love? But if I had I'd be a traitor to Adora. Why? WHY? This isn't fair.  
I gotta get outta here. Hordak'll be furious with me. I can't stay here. But where am I gonna go. I can't even see Adora. That jerk Bow's probably told her all about what I did. I need to think, find someplace to think. Oh please don't let anyone find me.’_

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Imp flew through the Fright Zone as a creature possessed, ducking and weaving through every obstacle he came across, tears falling from his eyes as he sped on his way. More than once he ran into a group of Horde Troopers he’d barely been able to avoid and he'd made so many twists and turns even he didn't know where he was. Convinced no one had been able to follow him, the boy slowed down some, letting the tears roll down his pudgy cheeks as he thought over the events of the last few minutes. That was when his attention was drawn to one of the thousands of monitors throughout the city that Hordak used to update his troops. Imp's picture was on the screen with Hodak's voice demanding he be returned to the Horde General.   
"It's already starting," the tiny monster whispered, his wings beating faster as he picked up speed. It wasn't long before the stress of the moment took its toll on his young mind and body and he could go no further, landing in a heap on the ground. "I gotta think... gotta think. How am I gonna get outta this?" the imp thought a loud.  
"So there you are," came a voice from behind, making Imp jump in surprise.  
"Ador... no She-Ra..." Imp stammered out, trying to get back into the air. He wasn't quick enough however, and She-Ra grabbed him by the tail. "OW! Hey, lemme go!!" Imp cried, tears freely falling from his eyes. Of course this did not escape She-Ra's notice.  
"Calm down. Believe it or not I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help," she said gently to the struggling creature.  
"You've done enough already!" Imp yelled. "Get away from me!"  
"I've done enough?" She-Ra asked, bewildered. "What did I do?"  
"This wasn't supposed to happen, but you had to shove your nose where it didn't belong!!" Imp continued. "The archer woulda been gone and Adora would be all mine!"  
"That's why you did this, isn't it."  
"But then you had to show up and ruin everything. Why do you always have to interfere in my life?"  
"Always? I wasn't aware I ever interfered in your life, at least not specifically."  
"You show up on Etheria, and Adora leaves the Horde!! You join the Rebels, and suddenly its never a good time to have fun with Hordak!! And you come to the Fright Zone, and I start taking potshots at Hordak!!!" Imp turned his back to She-Ra as a tear rolled down his cheek. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said quietly.  
"How did you expect it to be?" She-Ra asked in her gentlest voice.   
"I don't know, but it's not supposed to be like this. Love isn't supposed to be so... difficult." Suddenly realizing who he's talking to, Imp turned around and continued, "What do you care anyway?!"  
"I do care Imp, and whether you choose to believe it or not, that is the truth."  
"I was always taught the truth was subjective. And even if it is true, I still don't see why you care."   
"Because I understand what you're going through, even if you don't. It's confusing, feeling a need to be loyal to one person, yet being in love with their enemy, even when that emotion isn't yours." Slowly, She-Ra picked up the mirror. "You're too young to have to deal with problems like this."  
"What do you me..." Imp abruptly stopped talking when he turned around and found himself staring at his reflection. Once more, a gentle stream of purple energy flowed from the glass surface and began to permeate Imp's small body. She-Ra quickly extended her arm to catch the now sleeping boy.  
"But for what it’s worth, I hope you do find happiness with someone, someday."  
"A very nice sentiment my dear," came a voice from behind She-Ra. She turned to find Hordak standing behind her with fifteen Horde Troopers, one of which held Kowl while two others held a gagged Bow.  
"I thought I told you two to leave?"  
"We thought you could use some help," Kowl said sheepishly. "Eh... sorry." Next to him Bow let out some angry but muffled cries.   
"Be that as it may, we do seem to have a problem. I have your friends and you have my spy, and I want my spy BACK!" Hordak said in a commanding voice, pointing his gun arm at Kowl and Bow. The intent was all too clear to She-Ra, but another thought also troubled her.  
"I'm not going to just hand Imp over to you so you can have him executed for treason." With these words, the warrior woman's body went tense as she prepared to block Hordak and save Bow. For his part, Hordak stared at Imp who was still cradled in She-Ra's arm.  
"You have my word as a loyal Horde General that Imp will come to no harm," Hordak said in a serious, even tone. "Now, do we have a trade or not?"  
"Very well Hordak. But if I find out you lied to me, I will make you pay." A gesture from Hordak signaled the three troopers to release their prisoners. As Bow and Kowl moved away from the Horde, She-Ra carefully stepped forward and handed her sleeping bundle to her enemy; quickly moving back to her friends afterwards.  
"Get out now before I have my soldiers shoot you in the back," Hordak said, his anger evident as he glared at them through narrowed eyes, though he was careful of the small form nestled in his arms. A sharp whistle from She-Ra, and Swift Wind descended from the clouds he'd been hiding in, landing between the rebels and the Horde. She-Ra and Bow mounted the pegacorn and flew off, with Kowl flying close behind them.  
"Well I think that could have gone worse," Bow said when they were out of the Fright Zone.  
"Yes it could have gone much worse. But now it is time for me to take you two home, and then I can return the mirror to its home."  
"Look, I'm sorry about this mess, She-Ra. I really didn't think my plan could go as wrong as it did."  
"You are very fortunate I found out about your problem. Just promise me that next time you'll listen to your friends when they tell you a plan is more trouble than it's worth."  
"By the way, how did you know we were in trouble?"  
"Fortunately, I have friends in high places."

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A few hours later found Imp standing at the foot of Hordak's throne, eyes cast down and unwilling to look his master in the face. His hands gripped each other behind his back and his wings, normally sticking out straight behind him, are folded against his shoulders. Even is short tail does its best to wrap around his own leg. By Hordak's side, Shadow Weaver, now fully recovered from the effects of the mirror, floated serenely, watching them both passively.  
"I can't say I'm not disappointed in you Imp," Hordak began. "Did I not tell you before this whole fiasco began that the mission was too dangerous?"  
"Yes sir," came Imp's quiet reply. Outside the room in the hallway, soft chuckling could barely be heard coming from a quartet of eavesdroppers.  
"Mmmm Imp's gonna fry," Mantenna stated to his allies with relish.  
"It's about time that pig-faced little toad got what was coming to him ," Leech continued.  
"And in spite of my warning, you still begged me to let you go. Against my better judgment, I allowed you to leave on the condition that you would return here if you got into trouble. Isn't that right?" Hordak asked.   
"Yes sir."  
"And wouldn't you call being trapped in an enemy castle getting into trouble?"  
"Well I..."  
"I'm not interested in excuses Imp."  
"Yes sir."  
"You're lack of good judgment in this mission has led to a fiasco I don't think the Rebels will ever let us forget. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have to let She-Ra walk in and out of the Fright Zone at her leisure?"  
"I could guess."  
"Oh, you could guess, could you?" Hordak said in a slow voice that made the little creature shiver. "Throughout your time at my side Imp, you have proven to be invaluable as a spy, always able to sneak in and out of enemy encampments with useful information. This has led me to place a tremendous amount of trust in your abilities. And yet, every so often an assignment comes along that even I don't believe you can handle. And every time such a mission comes along, you beg me and pester me to let you do it. Typically I say no, but this time... this time I went against my better judgment and let you have your way. And you have only to look at the events of the past few days to see the effects that had. All because you wanted to have an adventure."  
"I'm real sorry, boss."  
"I'm afraid sorry won't suffice Imp. You will have to be punished for your mistakes or I don’t think you will learn that there are those who know better than you."  
"But..." Imp said, accompanied by snickers coming behind him. He scowled back at the four other Hordesmen, swearing to get even with them.  
"No buts. You are hereby put under restriction for two months. You are forbidden to leave the Fright Zone, or activate my trapdoor, in that time. You are also forbidden to play any pranks on any of the others."  
"Ah... But..." Imp began to plead.  
"AND... for the next two days you are confined to your room. If I hear that you've left, I'll extend your punishment for another month and two days."  
"WHAT!!!" Mantenna screamed as he stormed into the room, despite the efforts of his three comrades to stop him. "That's all!?!?!?! He tries to destroy you and makes the Horde look foolish, and all he gets is a glorified grounding!?!?! That's not fair!!! Every time I do something you don't like, I get dropped into that blasted aquarium you have underground!!"  
"Ah yes... (snort) Mantenna. Correct me if I'm wrong but, didn't you attack me and Imp not but a few short hours ago?" Hordak only half asked, a small smile appearing on his face. At these words, Mantenna's eyes grew wider as he realized where this was heading.  
"Wait, I didn't mean... It was the locket..." Before he could finish, Hordak pressed the button on his throne to activate the trapdoor. Quickly the bug-eyed monster jumped out of the way. "Ha, you missed."  
"You'd think that wouldn't you. Imp, fly." Upon this command, Imp jumped into the air flapping his wings as fast as he could as Hordak pushed a second button on his throne. Mantenna looked down just in time to see the entire floor of the throne room disappear from beneath his feet.  
"Yahhh!!!" Mantenna screamed as he fell to the water below, accompanied by Imp and Hordak's laughter.  
"I trust there will be no further complaints about my disciplinary policies," Hordak said, aiming his words in the general direction of his other three underlings, all of whom slowly nodded.

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After dropping off Bow in Brightmoon, it took little time for She-Ra to make back to the Crystal Castle, where she received her warmest welcome of the day.  
"Ah, you've returned She-Ra."  
"Yes Light Hope, and I have both the mirror and the Locket of Love."  
"I knew you could do it. Now, place the artifacts in the alcove where they belong if you would please." As if on command, the wall once more slid away to reveal the treasure alcove, even as two shafts of light break away from Light Hope's shimmering form, indicating the proper place for the mirror and locket. She-Ra stepped into the small room and replaced the two objects. "Now, as I promised." Another beam of light leaft the rainbow entity and, in She-Ra's hands, an exact copy of the locket appeared.   
"Thank you Light Hope. It is times like these that I'm glad the rest of the ancients of Etheria's toys are safely here."  
"Wellll... That's not exactly true. Much like the Locket, other artifacts were also lost before they could be safely stored here."   
"You're kidding. I don't think I could survive another couple of days like this."  
"I'm afraid not She-Ra. Most of the 'toys,' as you called them, made it here. So far, I have not heard of any trouble form the lost ones, but the same went for the locket until two days ago. I cannot say for certain whether you will come across any more of the artifacts, but..."  
"If I do, you'll be the first to know," She-Ra said as she got onto Swift Wind's back.  
"For now though, enjoy a respite and know that you will never again be troubled by the powers of the Locket of Love."  
"I will. And thanks again for your help," She-Ra called as she flew away. As soon as she was out of sight, Light Hope's color once again went paler and his form once more became thinner.  
"Good-bye, my friend," he weakly called after her.

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Epilogue  
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Night had fallen in the Fright Zone and all over the city lights were going on and off as day and night shifts switched. In Malevolence Tower, which also served to house the high placed officers in the Horde army, a guard stood outside a small door, looking almost out of place in the empty hallway. Behind the door sits a small room, no bigger than a walk-in closet, which was decorated after a most bizarre fashion. Toys of all shapes and sizes reside on the walls of the room, each stranger than the last. A toy bull with seven feet and horns all over its body fights with a warrior with three arms and one leg while just a few inches away sits voodoo dolls of Mantenna, Catra, Scorpia and Leech, each covered with pinholes. Mixed with the toys are various lockpicks and other assorted icons of thievery. The floor was littered with broken pieces of various items and several black singlets all with red bats on them. In a corner of the room, the area is dominated by a large (well for the room anyway) bed covered in a black comforter with Hordak's face embroidered on it. Next to the bed stood a nightstand, upon which rested a half eaten bowl of soup. Slugs float through the broth, upon the surface of which a thin film had begun to form.  
On the bed, its head resting on two pillows, lay a stuffed bear with wings on its back, four arms, a wicked growl on its face, and a curved horn in the center of its forehead. Sitting next to it was the owner of the room and most of the items in it; Imp. The small monster was currently busy putting on a set of black pajamas patterned with red bats, his sluggish movements and the wistful expression on his face indicating his mind is on something other than the task at hand.  
 _‘She almost came back,’_ the tiny creature thought to himself as he recounted the events of the past few days. _‘If I had had just a little more time, Adora would have returned to the Horde.’_ He looked around his room at some of the broken toys, fallout from the tantrum he'd thrown shortly after being escorted to his temporary prison. Among them was a small figurine that had been given to him by the then Horde cadet Adora when she was still in training. A smile creeped over his face as he remembered the young woman, thinking about how much fun it had been growing up with her in the Fright Zone. They'd pulled all sorts of pranks on the other Hordesmen, all with Hordak's blessing. And Adora had been good. She'd even managed to pull a few tricks on Imp himself, a feeling he'd found particularly interesting, if a bit unsettling.   
His yellow eyes traveled to the nightstand's other occupant, a picture in a frame of pure onyx. In the picture stood Adora, with Hordak standing right behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders and an unmistakable look of pride on his eyes. And in her hands stood none other than Imp himself, his hands raised in victory. Not surprising considering the fact that this picture was taken the day Adora graduated from the Horde Academy, with the highest marks ever recorded to boot. Hordak might not show it, but Imp knew Adora's defection to the Rebellion had been a big disappointment to him.  
 _‘And without her, this place just isn't that much fun. It's not fair. She was a good Hordesman, why did she have to leave us... leave me.’_ Imp could feel his anger rising as he thought about what had caused Adora to leave the Horde. Brightmoon freeing itself, the Great Rebellion making its presence felt, the appearance of She-Ra; all these events had contributed to Adora leaving. And they'd all been triggered by one creature that had had to stick his nose into other people's business. Imp's eyes narrowed in anger and hatred as he remembered the blonde, muscle-bound stranger that had just appeared on Etheria one day. It had been he who had first made fools of the Horde attack force, even if they needed little help to do that. It had been he who'd brought that detestable sword to Adora, the same sword that had somehow made Adora believe she should join the rebels. And it had been the same muscleman that had even tried to take Adora back to his homeworld of Eternia. As he thought more and more on the strange Eternian, Imp got angrier and angrier.  
 _‘I swear you'll pay for your meddling you steroid charged freak.’_ Imp began to think of all the ways he could hurt his enemy, a cruel smile crossing his lips. He would make the Eternian pay for taking Adora from him, make him pay dearly.  
"When I'm done, you'll be the sorriest hero in existence, He-Man."

The End...


End file.
